𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗕𝗵𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗻!

The Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN) is hosting a 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 to safeguard the 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲-𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻.

As part of this major initiative to ensure the comprehensive conservation of the White-bellied Heron in Bhutan, RSPN is launching new project activities in eastern Bhutan. The overarching goal is “𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲-𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀, 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗕𝗵𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗻”, with an integrated approach to conserve this rare species.

The project will cover the river basins of eastern Bhutan, primarily the Kuri-Gongri and its tributaries, spanning the districts of Mongar, Lhuntse, Trashigang, Trashiyangtse, and Pemagatshel.

As part of the project’s launch, RSPN is hosting a consultation and capacity-building workshop with relevant stakeholders in Mongar to initiate project implementation and foster collaborative conservation efforts.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN), through its ongoing BMUV-IKI Project, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Local Government Offices of Tashiding and Tsendagang under Dagana Dzongkhag to implement key livestock-based community initiatives.

As part of this collaboration, fishery development and beekeeping activities will be introduced as sustainable livelihood options, aimed at enhancing community resilience and generating additional income.

The Livestock Sector under Dagana Dzongkhag will provide crucial technical support at the grassroots level, ensuring the successful and long-term implementation of these initiatives.

This collaboration highlights RSPN’s commitment to empowering communities through eco-friendly and meaningful livelihood opportunities, reinforcing the integration of conservation and development in Bhutan.

Dagana is recognized as one of the important habitats for the critically endangered White-bellied Heron (WBH), making community-based conservation and sustainable livelihood efforts in the area particularly significant.

As part of its continued efforts to promote sustainable livelihoods and strengthen community-based conservation, the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN), in collaboration with the College of Natural Resources (CNR), conducted a week-long Training on Rural Entrepreneurship from July 9th to 15th, 2025 at CNR, Punakha District.

The training was designed to build the capacity of local officials to foster rural-based entrepreneurship in sectors such as beekeeping, fisheries, ecotourism, and high-value vegetable and crop cultivation. These efforts are aligned with RSPN’s broader goal of reinforcing the conservation of the critically endangered White-bellied Heron (WBH) through inclusive community engagement and sustainable economic development.

A total of 28 participants from the WBH landscape, including Dzongkhag Agriculture and Livestock Officers, Economic Development and Marketing Officers, Gups, and Gewog Administrative Officers, took part in the training. Their diverse expertise and local knowledge contributed to enriching the dialogue and ensuring the contextual relevance of the training. The key objectives and highlights of the training are:

• Enhancement of entrepreneurial competencies among rural development practitioners
• Identification and screening of viable rural business opportunities
• Preparation and testing of business plans tailored to local contexts
• Live pitching of business ideas to a panel of experts and financial institutions for feedback and guidance

As a result,participants gained a deeper understanding of rural entrepreneurship and developed practical skills necessary to initiate and sustain small-scale enterprises aligned with both community needs and conservation goals.This initiative marks an important step in promoting people-centered conservation, where local livelihoods and biodiversity protection go hand-in-hand.Through the empowerment of local changemakers, RSPN endeavors to position rural communities as key actors in environmental stewardship and contributors to Bhutan’s sustainable economic development.

 “This training is more than just about business it’s about building resilient rural communities that take pride in conserving their natural heritage,” shared one of the participants.

This activity is part of the IKI Project, “Developing Ecosystem-based Solutions for Managing Biodiversity Landscapes in Bhutan,” funded by the BMUV and co-funded by the MAVA Foundation and RSPN.

RSPN Bhutan hosted a two-day’s consultation meeting focused on creating sustainable livestock initiatives along the Mangdechhu and Punatshangchhu basins, which are crucial habitats for the Critically Endangered White-bellied Heron (WBH).

The meeting gathered key implementing partners from various government agencies ; Department of Livestock, National Livestock Research Centre (NLRC), Dzongkhag Livestock Officers, and Agriculture Officers from the six project districts.

The meeting focused on creating sustainable, integrated livestock initiatives like beekeeping and fishery that will both support local communities and strengthen conservation efforts for the WBH.

We extend our gratitude to all the participants for your valuable inputs.

This activity is part of the IKI Project, “Developing Ecosystem-based Solutions for Managing Biodiversity Landscapes in Bhutan,” funded by the BMUV and co-funded by the MAVA Foundation and RSPN.

The consultation meeting organized by RSPN Bhutan aimed to discuss the development of community seed banks along the Mangdechhu and Punatshangchhu basins, one of the key habitats of the Critically endangered #Whitebelliedheron.

The meeting brought together representatives from various government bodies; Department of Agriculture, Royal Government of Bhutan, Department of Livestock, Royal Government of Bhutan, National Seed Centre, National Biodiversity Centre Bhutan, ARDC, and Dzongkhag Agriculture Officers from six project districts (Dagana, Punakha, Trongsa, Zhemgang, Tsirang and Wangduephodrang).

The meeting’s objective was to share ideas and foster collaboration to ensure the sustainability of community seed banks initiatives ultimately supporting the conservation and use of native/ traditional species and high yielding varieties.

This initiative is part of the IKI Project, “Developing Ecosystem-based Solutions for Managing Biodiversity Landscapes in Bhutan,” funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI), with co-funding from the MAVA Foundation, Switzerland, and the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN).

As the harvest season approach, Ap Dorji Rinchen, a resident of Toedwang gewog in Punakha, can finally rest without sacrificing his sleep to guard his six acres of wetland from wild boars and other animals. Earlier,the community had built 11 temporary sheds around the fields for protection,with each household taking turns to monitor the crops overnight.

Now with the introduction and support of electric fencing by the RSPN, the situation has improved significantly. This intervention, which covers six villages has benefited 42 households and protects around 90 acres of farmland. The 17-kilometre stretch of fencing with a total budget of Nu 2.5 million was inaugurated on September 30th,2024.

Prior to the project’s implementation, the local residents were felling trees from the nearby banks of the Phochhu River to use as fencing poles. The resident shared that led to the habitat disturbance of local wildlife including the critically endangered White-bellied Heron (WBH) and highlighted the need for sustainable solutions to protect both the environment and the community’s livelihoods.
Currently, the High-Density Poly-ethylene (HDPE) pipes are used for the electric fence. The HDPE poles not only reduce the impact on local forests but also enhance the durability and effectiveness of the fencing system.

Last year, the WBH juvenile was spotted in Samdingkha area which shows that with the restoration and habitat improvement intervention, the WBH comes back to its natural habitat.
This activity is a part of IKI Project “Developing Ecosystem-based Solutions for Managing Biodiversity landscapes in Bhutan” funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), Germany through International Climate Initiative (IKI) with co-funding from MAVA Foundation, Switzerland and the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN).

A comprehensive five-day packaging workshop was conducted for the representatives of Climate-smart Agriculture Youth and Women groups of the three project sites (Punakha, Trongsa, and Zhemgang districts) to raise awareness about diverse marketing avenues available at both national and international platforms for their community’s local products.

The training had the following objectives:

1.Enhancing the capacity of local communities, specifically youth and women groups, in packaging and marketing their local products.

2.Equipping local producers with essential skills in hygiene, standards, design, labeling, branding, packaging, and marketing for their local products.

3.Fostering self-sufficiency and generate income opportunities within the community.

During the training, the participants were provided the opportunity to explore available resources and facilities that could elevate the value of their existing local products. The workshop was conducted with the technical support from Cottage & Small Industry (CSI), Department of Industry and coordinated by RSPN as part of the ongoing BMUVI-IKI project.

This project is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), Germany through International Climate Initiative (IKI) with co-funding from MAVA Foundation, Switzerland and the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN).

Coinciding with the auspicious Birth Anniversary of our beloved Gyalsey, Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, RSPN team and Extension Agriculture officers distributed hybrid seeds and seedlings to 135 households under Nimshong chiwog, Trongsa and Norbuling chiwog, Dagana districts.

This seed and seedling activity is a part of the Climate Smart Agriculture initiative to improve livelihood opportunities of the local communities living in the White-bellied Heron Landscape.

In the following months, other districts, Punakha, Wangdue Phodrang and Tsirang, within the White-bellied Heron landscape will receive similar support.

This project is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), Germany through International Climate Initiative (IKI) with co-funding from MAVA Foundation, Switzerland and the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN).

Agriculture plays a crucial role in economic development and has been the backbone of civilizations throughout history, providing sustenance and livelihoods to communities worldwide.

Post-harvest practice is key in keeping the harvested produce’s quality. Poor post-harvest practices and storage could lead to damage to yield, resulting in a huge loss. The post-harvest practice is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or from one form of food into other forms.

To instill post harvest techniques within the communities and also built capacity of the community members living in the White-bellied Heron Landscape, a two-day training on Post-harvest techniques, Pests and Disease management and food processing was provided. The training was attended by 44 (male 11 & 33 female) community members from Nimshong Toe and Moe chiwogs under Korphu gewog, Trongsa district.

It is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), Germany through International Climate Initiative (IKI) with co-funding from MAVA Foundation, Switzerland and the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN).

Human-wildlife Conflict(HWC) can occur in various forms, such as crop depredation by angulates, predation on livestock by carnivores, and direct threats to human safety by wildlife. It has become paramount importance in managing these implications for the benefit of both the conservation of wildlife and the well-being of human populations.

When does HWC occur? It arises mainly due to the same or similar need and behaviors of wildlife and the interests and activities of human beings clash. With depletion of natural resources in the wild and increase demands of resources for the human needs, the conflict is mounting more and more than ever.

To mitigate the locally-led initiative in managing the HWC, RSPN has conducted two-day training on managing HWC through Crop compensation scheme. The training conducted from 21 – 22 August 2023 was attended by community groups of Berti and Goling chiwog under Zhemgang district and Ngormey-Bayzam chiwog under Trongsa district. These communities fall under White-bellied Heron landscape.

It is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), Germany through International Climate Initiative (IKI) with co-funding from MAVA Foundation, Switzerland and the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN).