Bhutan for Life PROSPECTUS

Bhutan for Life is a conservation initiative using a Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model to secure the long-term protection of 5 million acres of land, covering 51% of Bhutan. The project establishes a $40 million transition fund (2017-2030) to bridge a financial gap, allowing the Royal Government of Bhutan to gradually assume full funding responsibility. The plan focuses on five themes: biodiversity, ecosystem services, climate resilience, economic opportunity, and effective management. Key goals include increasing tiger populations by 20% over 2015 levels, maintaining 2.7 million acres of forest to sequester 2.6 million tons of CO2 annually, and ensuring 80% of households in protected areas have access to nature-based employment by 2025.

• The Bhutan for Life initiative utilizes a Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model, which involves a 'single closing deal' to ensure full funding for the long-term protection of ecosystems.
• The project aims to provide a $40 million transition fund until 2030 to manage a network of protected areas and biological corridors that cover 51 percent of Bhutan's land area, totaling 5 million acres.
• A primary biodiversity goal is to increase the populations of flagship species by 2022, specifically targeting an increase in tiger numbers by at least 20 percent compared to 2015 levels.
• The initiative seeks to maintain 2.7 million acres of forest within the protected area network from 2018 onwards, which will sequester 2.6 million tons of CO2 annually.
• To support rural livelihoods, the project targets having 80 percent of households within protected areas gain access to nature-based employment and income-generating opportunities by 2025.
• The project aims to reduce human-wildlife conflict, with a goal that 80 percent of households in protected areas benefit from reduced conflict by 2020 through the adoption of prevention strategies.
• The financial model requires $40 million in donations for the transition fund and $25 million in new internal funding from the Royal Government of Bhutan to cover a total non-staff cost of $65 million over 14 years.
• The initiative includes a staffing plan to increase personnel from 399 in 2016 to 722 by 2021 to ensure all protected areas and biological corridors are adequately staffed.
• The project intends to designate at least one high-conservation, economic, and culturally valued stretch of river as free-flowing and managed for climate resilience by 2022.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). Bhutan for Life PROSPECTUS. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1145/9p9sda5cby_WWF_Bhutan_for_Life_Prospectus.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Bhutan for Life PROSPECTUS. n.d. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1145/9p9sda5cby_WWF_Bhutan_for_Life_Prospectus.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Bhutan for Life PROSPECTUS |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1145/9p9sda5cby_WWF_Bhutan_for_Life_Prospectus.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndbhutan, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Bhutan for Life PROSPECTUS}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1145/9p9sda5cby_WWF_Bhutan_for_Life_Prospectus.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }