From 12th to 22nd November 2024, the Tarayana Foundation, with the expertise of Mr. Kaka, Dy. Chief Forestry Officer from Wangdue Forest Division under the Department of Forests and Park Services and Dr. Sangay Dorji, Technical Director at the Foundation, conducted a comprehensive field study in the Dotikhola watershed. The Department of Forest and Park Services rendered full support for this work by deploying staff from the Gedu Forest Division and sharing the data.
The field study was complemented by a community consultation, during which community members who would become future service providers under the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) initiative detailed their ideas for the types of services they could offer. The team visited Jumja, Majuwa, Chilauny, Aley, and Jabrey villages to assess water quality, discharge levels (quantity), forest types, and challenges faced by the local communities.
In the following days, the team engaged with various stakeholders in Phuentsholing Thromde, including building owners, hoteliers, private companies, government agencies, and other organizations that are key beneficiaries of the PES scheme. The first consultation meeting was chaired by the Phuntsholing Dasho Drungpa, who highlighted that water is of multi-sectoral interest and needs collective efforts and interventions. Moreover, this is crucial when rural communities have been preceding their developmental activities, such as road construction, to benefit urban settlements in the plains. Rural communities must be incentivized with certain economic benefits to safeguard the natural resources that will benefit most of the population. Further, the presence of the College Of Science And Technology. in Phuentsholing can also help with the research and monitoring of PES schemes and strengthen the implementation of such schemes. In conclusion, with all these added advantages, he shared his hopes that the PES scheme in Phuentsholing will be exemplary for all other Dzongkhags in the country.
The stakeholders demonstrated a clear understanding of the scheme, its significance, and its relevance, expressing their full support for its implementation.
The executive secretary chaired the final presentation to Thromde officials. They pledged their full support as intermediaries to facilitate fee collection and disbursement to the upstream community once the scheme is operational.
The PES initiative seeks to formalize a partnership between Phuentsholing Thromde and the Dotikhola watershed community, ensuring this vital landscape’s conservation and sustainable management.
This initiative is funded by the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety, and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and the International Climate Initiative (IKI) as part of the Living Landscapes: Securing High Conservation Value in Southwestern Bhutan project.
We want to thank the Department of Forests and Park Services for their full support in rendering the resource person, Mr. Kaka, and sharing the data, Phuntsholing Thromde, and all the stakeholders in Thromde and the community for showing us their full support.
Together, letโs protect nature and support communities!