Environmental and Social Management Plan for Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary

The 2022 ESMP for Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) outlines mitigation strategies for five key infrastructure and conservation activities: the development of a Black-necked Crane (BNC) visitor center at a RAMSAR site, ecotourism infrastructure at Tsaling-Kharchendra Ney, renovation of sanctuary buildings, bio-engineering at Dungtsho lake, and the enhancement of a recreational site. The plan focuses on managing construction waste, ensuring worker health and safety (including COVID-19 protocols), and preventing human-wildlife conflict. Implementation is led by BFL focal persons and contractors, with monitoring conducted through weekly or monthly field visits and reports submitted to the BFL Fund Secretariat. The document also provides detailed Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards for workers, including requirements for personal protective equipment, first aid, and accommodation.

• The Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) covers 1534.24Sq.Km across Trashiyangtse, Lhuntse, and Mongar, with elevations ranging from 1390 to 6400 meters above sea level.
• BWS is characterized by high biodiversity, recording 52 mammal species (25.6% of Bhutan's recorded mammals), 966 plant species, and 356 bird species, including the Black-necked Crane.
• Five specific activities are planned for 2022: a BNC visitor center at the RAMSAR site (USD 39,000), ecotourism infrastructure at Tsaling-Kharchendra Ney (USD 64,000), building renovations (USD 48,000), bio-engineering at Dungtsho lake (USD 15,000), and recreational site amenities (USD 10,700).
• The plan identifies several recurring adverse impacts across project sites, primarily construction waste, worker health and safety risks, and potential disturbance to natural habitats.
• Mitigation measures for construction waste include prohibiting the burning of waste and the dumping of materials on fragile slopes, forests, or culturally sensitive areas.
• Worker safety protocols require the provision of first aid kits within 200m of any working place and the implementation of a grievance mechanism for workers to report concerns to Range, beat, HQ, or gewog offices.
• To mitigate human-wildlife conflict during ecotourism development, the plan mandates constructing trails that minimize wildlife disturbance and providing warning signs for tourists.
• Monitoring of the 2022 activities involves weekly or monthly field visits by the BFL focal person and periodic monitoring reports from the ESS officer submitted to the BFL Fund Secretariat.
• The ESMP was developed through a participatory process, including a community consultation in October 2021 specifically for the Dungtsho lake bio-engineering work.
• Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards specify that workers must be provided with helmets, gloves, ordinary boots, and reflective vests, with additional eye protection and masks for those exposed to dust.

APA

WWF International (2022). Environmental and Social Management Plan for Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/8q6sm409hu_BWS_ESMP.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Environmental and Social Management Plan for Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary. 2022. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/8q6sm409hu_BWS_ESMP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Environmental and Social Management Plan for Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary |date=2022 |url=https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/8q6sm409hu_BWS_ESMP.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2022environmental, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Environmental and Social Management Plan for Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2022}, url = {https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/8q6sm409hu_BWS_ESMP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }