Restore Bhutan, a roadmap under the Mountains to Mangroves initiative, has identified degraded forests, farmlands, and urban areas for restoration across the country over the next decade. It aims to restore 50,000 hectares of land. It is equivalent to more than 70,000 football pitches. Her Royal Highness Princess Chimi Yangzom Wangchuck graced the project launch yesterday.
Officials from Conservation International said that while Bhutan has high forest cover and leads in ecosystem protection, forests with high fire risk, fallow farmlands, and areas degraded by climate change and human activity remain major concerns.
Therefore, the roadmap provides a pathway to restore fire-affected and low–tree cover areas, fallow and urban lands. The restoration is expected to store more carbon, bring back more plants and animals, and reduce the risks of forest fires. The project will also use farming methods like agroforestry and better fallow management to increase harvests and support rural farming households.
One thousand hectares of urban land have been identified to reduce heat, mitigate floods, and support community livelihoods.
Community needs and priorities for restoration have been identified through nationwide consultations.
“We are happy that through Restore Bhutan, all of these plans are now agreed upon. We have a proper system of governance between government organisations of Bhutan and Conservation International that will monitor the progress of the initiative and provide high-level governance to make sure that what we have committed to doing actually happens,” said Saurav Malhotra, the Founding Managing Director of the Mountains to Mangroves, Conservation International.
Supporting Bhutan’s constitutional mandate to maintain at least 60 per cent forest cover and uphold its carbon-neutral status, Restore Bhutan aims to reduce CO₂, improve livelihoods, secure fresh water, and enhance biodiversity.
Sangay Chozom
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
