Community Forestry and Management of Forest Resources in Bhutan

Abstract

Community forestry is that part of forest management in which local rural people are involved in strengthening, spreading, managing, utilizing, and increasing the productivity of the forest under their custody, as well as protecting and preserving the reserved government forests by reducing human pressure. The concept of community forestry came because of the drastic reduction in forest cover near or in the vicinity of human reach and the deteriorating productivity of the forest. It is not only the loss of forest but also of other organisms found in the region; many of the species of forest flora and fauna are on the verge of extinction. The rainfall and climate are changing rapidly, and there is a large extent of deteriorating forest cover. The forests also play a greater role in reducing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide by consumption through photosynthesis, apart from releasing oxygen. The vegetative cover is pumping out more and more moisture into the atmosphere to regulate the overall climate at a local level to the global scale. The forest is indispensable as it has multifaceted importance and cannot be further exploited without giving any second thought. When forests are to be utilized, such use must be done very judiciously and cautiously so that every proper care is taken. In another words, the forests should be managed sustainably. Almost all of Bhutan is mountainous by physical character with the very weak, fragile, susceptible, and shattered newly formed high Himalaya. The people are very much attached to the forests for their livelihood, and here it becomes even more important to manage the forest. Community forestry offers great hope and is growing very rapidly. Therefore, an attempt has been made to study community forestry in Bhutan in general, with particular emphasis on Eastern Bhutan.