Bhutanese women are often at the forefront in natural resource management. For instance, about two third of 26 members of Choekhor Community Forest of Kawang Gewog in Thimphu are women.
“We have been actively involved in community forest and its conservation since it is economically and socially benefiting,” said Dema, 72, one of the members of Choekhor Community Forest.
Another woman member Cheychey, 50, said they depend on forest for firewood and timber for construction. “Since we work closely with the nature we know how to manage forest sustainably,” she said.
Sithu, 47, said as a member of the community they are involved in clearing forests, cutting down trees that are old and rotting and planting new samplings.
A forester, Ugyen Tshering, who has been working closely in community forestry, says women in most of the region play a vital role in sustainable management
“Since they are the main decision making person in a family, they know the actual requirement in the household. Right from the planning to the execution, women are actively involved in management plan making.”
Today, there are over 380 community forests involving about 17,000 households in the country and roughly about 70 percent of Bhutanese women actively participating in it.
