An evaluation of the effectiveness of a protected area management Model in Bhutan: A case study of Phrumsengla National Park, Central Bhutan.

Phrumsengla National Park (PNP), located in central Bhutan, is an important protected area due to its biodiversity and as a source of natural resources for local communities. The focus of this research was to study the effectiveness of PNP management under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources - World Commission on Protected Areas’ framework. Document analysis and semi-structured interviews provided the data. The interviews were conducted with staff from different levels of government, and community members. An in-depth interview was conducted with officials from Wildlife Conservation Division, Policy and Planning Division and park officials. A total of twelve community respondents representing all four districts and seven geogs (block of communities) living inside and in buffer areas were interviewed. It was found that the management of the PNP was geared to achieve its mandates of biodiversity conservation, and also to benefit the rural population dependent on PNP’s natural resources. Park officials count the recent tiger survey and physical boundary demarcation as recent achievement. The communities saw the management of the PNP as protecting trees for their sustainable utilisation, and for most of them, PNP’s Integrated Conservation and Development Program was identified as benefiting rural communities. On the other hand, the management plan (2008-2013) was not fully implemented due to lack of resources and technical skills. Multiple challenges and issues were identified that affected overall management effectiveness: the national highway, construction of new roads, poaching, illegal timber harvesting, human-wildlife conflict and conflict of interests between the PNP management and local communities. It was also found that the failure of management plan implementation was due to absence of support and monitoring from central agencies. The research findings led to recommendations being made to address the issues identified

Community perception of ecosystem services from commercially managed forests in Bhutan

Given the direct dependence rural communities have on forests, understanding ecosystem services can empower communities and align stakeholders to define priorities and objectives for the sustainable management of forest resources. In this qualitative study on the forest ecosystem services in Bhutan, we assessed community awareness and perceptions of local forest ecosystem services, identified their top priorities, and evaluated how they have changed over time. The study focused on state reserve forest areas designated for commercial timber production, formally known as forest management units (FMU). We held focus group discussions separately with women and men associated with five FMUs in the central belt of the country. Participants identified 45 ecosystem services, with soil productivity, freshwater, timber, fresh air, construction stone, carbon sequestration, spiritual value, pollination, and local weather regulation comprising the most highly valued services critical to local livelihood and well-being. Participants felt that forest ecosystem services have been generally declining over the past decade in the FMUs and identified a need for forest restoration activities to improve their delivery. We recommend that state forest entities conduct an awareness campaign to empower communities with the conceptual framework and globally recognized concepts to advocate for their needs related to forests. We also recommend that biophysical and economic studies be conducted in these areas to seek evidence for causal linkages between natural resource use and the status of ecosystem services. This study contributes to a growing literature on ecosystem services in Bhutan and provides a basis for future studies to understand how management activities can impact the delivery of critical services

Program : 5th East-West Center International Graduate Student Conference, February 16-18, 2006

The Conference was held on February 16-18, 2006 at the Imin International Conference Center, Honolulu, Hawaii USAFor more about the East-West Center, see https://www.eastwestcenter.org/The East-West Center International Graduate Student Conference (IGSC) is an annual interdisciplinary conference that welcomes presentations in a number of thematic and disciplinary areas focusing on the Asia Pacific region, and/or the relationship/interaction of the US with the Asia Pacific region. For the purposes of the conference, Asia Pacific is defined to include: South Asia, East Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, all the Pacific Rim nations and Pacific Islands, and Russia

Abstracts : 6th East-West Center International Graduate Student Conference, February 15-17, 2007

Conference held on February 15-17, 2007 at the Imin International Conference Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USAFor more about the East-West Center, see https://www.eastwestcenter.org/Change and continuity have both been characteristics of the Asia Pacific region as its diverse and energetic communities engage with development. Issues of economic, political, demographic, environmental, cultural, and social transition pose challenges for its institutions at the regional, national as well as the local level. Responses in this dynamic region sometimes reflect the willingness of a society to embrace modernity and other times to demonstrate a preference to conserve tradition. These collective responses carve out new meanings and definitions of the development endeavor and shape the future of individual societies and the region as a whole.Papers and posters were selected from about 270 abstracts received, which reflect the East-West Center's multidisciplinary research areas of Politics, Governance, Security, Economics, Business, Environment, Disaster Management, Population, Health, History, Education, Language, Culture, Planning