ROYAL UNIVERSITY OF BHUTAN

COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES LOBESA: PUNAKHA

THE PROTECTED AREAS OF BHUTAN WILD LIFE SCIENCE

SUBMITTED AS A PARTIAL REQUIREMENT OF TWO YEAR FORESTRY DIPLOMA PROGRAM KARMA THINLEY, FACULTY OF FORESTRY, 2

Documented by Karma Thinley, Forestry faculty, CNR

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INTRODUCTION Protected area is an area which has been declared to be a national park, conservation area, wildlife sanctuary, wildlife reserve, nature reserve, strict nature reserve, research forest, critical watershed or other protected areas (Forest and Nature Conservation Rules of Bhutan, 2006). According to Dudley (2008), protected area is geographical space which is recognized and managed through legal or other effective means to achieve the long-term conservation of nature. Protected areas are declared with objectives to preserve existing rich natural biodiversity and to avoid impacts of developmental activities within approved biological corridors. A good network of protected areas have been created and managed in Bhutan since the country is one of the top ten global hotspots ( G i l l i s o n , 2 0 0 9 ) . According to Sherpa et al. (2004), the protected areas are spread over nine different locations representing various ecological zones from sub-tropical climate in the south to alpine in the north (as cited in Wangchuck, 2007). The protected areas cover 42.71% of the country which is linked by biological corridors that cover 8.61% of area and Percentage covered by conservation areas is 0.12%. In Total, there are 51.44% of protected areas and Biological corridor in the country (Ministry of Agriculture and Forest, 2011). At present there are ten protected areas in the country consisting of five national parks, four wildlife sanctuaries and one strict nature reserve.

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THE PROTECTED AREAS OF BHUTAN With the inauguration of the Wangchuck Centennial Park in December 2008, the countrys protected areas are now increased in number. Today there are five national parks, four wildlife sanctuaries, and a strict nature reserve, covering altogether an area of 16,398 km2 or 42.7 percent of the countrys total area. This puts Bhutan well at the top of the list of countries in the world with the highest proportion on of area under protected status (National Biodiversity Centre, 2009).

JDNP BWS

TNP

JSWNP TSNP PWS

KWS RMNP

SWS

Figure 1. Protected areas in Bhutan Bhutans protected areas cover some of the important and critical ecosystems in the country stretching from sub-tropical to alpine zones. They cover almost 17 districts of the country (as shown in table 1).

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Table.1: Protected areas of Bhutan Protected areas Total Area (km )

2

Year of Estd.

Dzongkhags

NATIONAL PARKS Royal Manas National Park Jigme Dorji National Park Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park Thrumshingla National Park 905.05 200 0 1,057.00 4,316.00 1,730.00 1966 1995 1995 Sarpang & Zhemgang Punakha, Gasa, Thimphu & Paro Trongsa, Wangdue, Sarpang, Tsirang & Zhemgang Bumthang, Lhuentse, Mongar & Zhemgang Wangchuck Centennial Park 4,914.00 2008 Gasa, Wangdue, Bumthang, Trongsa & Lhuentse WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES Bumdelling Wildlife Sanctuary Sakten Wildlife Sanctuary Khaling Wildlife Sanctuary Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary 740.60 334.73 268.93 2003 Trashigang & Samdrupjongkhar Samdrupjongkhar Sarpang & Dagana 1520.61 1998 Trashiyangtse, Lhuentse & Mongar

STRICT NATURE RESERVE Toorsa Strict Nature Reserve 609.51 Total Protected Areas 16,396.43 Haa

(Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, 2011)

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1. ROYAL MANAS NATIONAL PARK Royal Manas National Park is the first conservation showpiece of the Bhutan. It is located between Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park in the north, and Manas National Park in India to the south. Royal Manas lies at altitude ranging from 150 to 2600 meters which includes habitats from lowland tropical forests to permanent ice fields. It was significant as it was considered as conservation showpiece of the Kingdom and a genetic depository for valuable plants. 2. JIGME DORJI NATIONAL PARK Jigme Dorji National Park is Bhutans second largest protected area (4,316 square kilometers) with an altitude range of 1,400 to above 7,000 meters. It has mixed forest type of Warm broadleaf, cool broadleaf, mixed conifer forest and Alpine meadows. The park is a vital watershed covering almost half of northern Bhutan, and is an important natural conservatory of glaciers, alpine meadows and scrublands, sub-alpine and temperate conifer forests, warm and cool temperate broadleaf forests, major rivers and streams, and the flora and fauna that inhabit these ecosystems (Bhutan Trust Fund for Environment Conservation, 2012). The park is home to various terrestrial wildlife species like snow leopard, Bengal tigers, Himalayan black bear, common leopard, yak, blue sheep, marmot, raven, takin, fox, wild boar, sambar, musk deer, wild dog, pika, clouded leopard and many others found in their natural habitats. The park also has equally rich floral species consisting of a unique caterpillar fungus Cordyceps sinensis, rhododendrons, chirpines, cypress and hundreds of alpine medicinal and aromatic plants. JDNP is also the only park in Bhutan where national animal (takin), flower (blue poppy), bird (raven) and tree (cypress) exist together.

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The park is very significant from the strongpoint of national economy, because four major rivers, namely, Pachhu, Wangchhu, Pochhu, and Mochhu, originate from the park, and major hydropower dams are built on these rivers (DoFPs, 2009). It is the only park where all the Bhutan's four National Symbols; Cypress (Cupressus corneyana), Blue Poppy (Meconopsis grandis), Raven (Corvus corax) and Takin (Budorcas taxicolor) are found. 3. JIGME SINGYE WANGCHUCK NATIONAL PARK Covering an area of 1,730 square kilometers, Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park includes a wide range of habitat types, from broadleaf forests at 600 meters to coniferous forests, alpine pasture and lakes, to permanent ice on the peak of Black mountain range at 4,925 meters. The park constitutes the largest, richest and most intact temperate forest reserve in the entire Himalaya. The ecosystem ranges from 640m to 4925m. A local tribe called Monpa, who specializes on cane works, is also a resident of this park. The park has permanent ice peak like Dorshingla rising to 4925m, alpine lakes, pastures, conifer and broadleaf forests. Some of the charismatic species in the park include red panda, golden langur (which is endemic to Bhutan), common langur, sambar, musk deer, Himalayan black bear, tiger, leopard and some 449 species of birds. Recently a new kind of deer different from the common sambar was sighted and identified to be the "Bhutan Shou" a species of deer, which was believed to be non-existing in Bhutan until now. The Phobjikha valley which lies in the buffer zone of the park is an important habitat of Black Necked Cranes-one of the highly endangered birds in the world. Over 260 cranes visit this valley every winter. HWC Management Program and Wildlife Rehabilitation Program were established. It is significant as it was established to conserve, protect and maintain the viability of specific

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ecosystem animal and plant community, and to protect culture, historical and religious site and contribute to the socio economic development of PAs resident through wise management. 4 THRUMSHINGLA NATIONAL PARK

Thrumshingla National Park lies in the east central part of Bhutan. The park encompasses an area of 905.05 sq km with altitude range of 700 to 4,400 meters. The park symbolizes the highest tiger habitat at 4000m, which is quite rare in nature. This park is also the place where 22 species of rhododendrons are growing in their natural habitat, now protected as the "Rhododendron Garden" established in 2002 to mark the International Year of the Mountains. It was considered to be important park because it has 22 species of rhododendrons and now protected as the Rhododendron Garden (established in 2002) to mark the International Year of the Mountains. Image of a tiger was captured at 3000 m by a WWF-supported survey team in the year 2000. WWF support to keep the parks rich ecosystem unspoiled and ensure that it has effective management plan implemented. 5 WANGCHUCK CENTENNIAL PARK

Located in central-northern Bhutan, Wangchuck Centennial Park is also the countrys largest park covering 4,914 square kilometers. It represents the middle Himalayan ecological biomes, ranging from blue pine forests to alpine meadows, over an altitude of 2,500 to 5,100 meters. The park is home to 244 species of vascular plants, 23 species of large mammals and 134 bird species. Charismatic wildlife species such as the Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris), Snow leopard (Uncia uncia), Wolf (Canis lupus), Takin (Budorcas taxicolor) and Himalayan Black bear (Selenarctos thibetanus) are residents.
WWF had helped the Royal Government to maintain the park as one of the best alpine ecosystems in the country. It is significant as it was established in honor of the Wangchuck dynasty, founded in 1907. It was established to conserve, protect and maintain the viability of the species community and ecosystem. Documented by Karma Thinley, Forestry faculty, CNR Page 7

BOMDELING WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Bumdelling Wildlife Sanctuary in north-eastern Bhutan covering 1,520.61 square kilometers between 1,500 to 6,000 meters. Bumdelling Valley within the sanctuary is one of the countrys two wintering spots for the endangered Black-necked crane. The sanctuary is a show case for 293 species of birds, out of which 5 species are included in the IUCN Red List of globally threatened and 4 species globally near threatened, and another 6 recorded as restricted range species. There are also 32 species of butterflies out of which some are identified as rare. With funded from WWF, social economic condition and awareness campaign were conducted in rural communities. It is significant as it was established to conserve the ecological integrity of the high and medium altitude ecosystems and religious sites of the sanctuary, giving importance to the catering socio-economic needs of the local people of the sanctuary. 7 SAKTENG WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Located in the Eastern Part of Bhutan, Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary lies between altitude of 1,800 to 4,400 meters covering an area of 650 Sq. Km. Sakten is designed to protect the countrys eastern-most temperate ecosystems which harbor, among others, endemic species such as the Eastern blue pine (Pinus bhutanica) and Black-rumped magpie (Pica pica bottanensis). The two geogs of Merak and Sakteng under Trashigang Dzongkhag falls under this Sanctuary. The place is basically too high to grow any food crops. The meadows are used as summer pastures for yaks by the nomadic yak-herding communities (National Biodiversity Centre, 2009). Sakten Wildlife Sanctuary is significant because it is possibly the worlds only protected area known to harbor the highly reclusive Yeti.

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PHIBSOO WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary located in the South-central Bhutan with an area of 278 Sq. Km. It is between the altitudes of 200 to 1,600 meters. It is unique for diverse flora and fauna such as elephant, guar and golden langur. It is the only area in Bhutan to have Chital (Axis axis) or spotted deer, and the only remaining natural Sal (Shorea robusta) forests in the country. Like Royal Manas, Phibsoo is home to Elephant, Royal Bengal Tiger, Gaur, three species of Mahseer and possibly the rare Ganges River dolphin. It has no human residents. World-wide Fund for Nature had provided support in the conservation & management programme to ensure that the basic conservation infrastructure is in place. It is significant as it was established to enhance professional and public knowledge for local biodiversity conservation relating to community. 9 KHALING WILDIFE SANCTUARY

Covering a modest 334.73 square kilometers between 400 to 2,200 meters, Khaling Wildlife Sanctuary is Bhutans smallest protected area. However, the park is important habitat for Elephant, Gaur and other tropical wildlife species. It may also contain the rare Pygmy hog and Hispid hare. The latter two species are known to occur in the adjacent Khaling Reserve in India, with which this park forms a trans-border reserve. With financial support from Bhutan Trust Fund, the parks system was revised for better ecological representation and realistic management. It is important wildlife sanctuary as it is famous for being a top-class habitat for the rare pygmy hog, Asian elephant and tiger. 10 TOORSA STRICT NATURE RESERVE Toorsa Strict Nature Reserve is located in the Western most part of Bhutan. The area is bordered by China in the West. It covers 609.51 square kilometers and it is between altitude ranges of 1,400 to 4,800 meters. The Reserve protects the westernmost temperate forest of the country
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from broadleaf evergreen forests, broadleaf deciduous forests, coniferous forests, tropical grasslands, alpine and sub-alpine grasslands and scrub and shrub lands including the small lakes of Sinchulungpa. The bird species found here include chestnut-breasted partridge, wood snipe and the endangered rufous-necked hornbill. Unlike Bhutans other protected areas, Toorsa has no resident human population. ICIMOD funded for Operationalization of Toorsa Corridor. It is significant because this nature
reserve is to protect the natural form of the forest without any human intervention inside the protected area and to maintain the balance ecosystem in the nature. It is the only reserve with no human inhabitants. It protects temperate forests and alpine meadows.

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Table. 2 list of wildlife species found in Bhutan Common Names Asian Elephant Asiatic Wild Buffalo Beautiful Nuthatch Black-Necked Crane Blood Pheasant Blue Poppy Chestnut-Breasted Partridge Chital Chocolate Masheer Clouded Leopard Common hoopoe Cordyceps Cypress Daphne Deep-Bodied Mahseer Delphinium Dhole Or Indian Wild Dog Eastern Blue Pine Ganges River Dolphin Golden Langur Golden Masheer Goral Guar Himalayan Black Bear Himalayan Blue Ship Himalayan larch Hispid Hare Indian Leopard Indian Pangolian Leopard Cat Magnolia Maple Migoi Scientific Names Elephas maximus Babulus arnee Sitta formosa Grus nigricollis Ithaginis cruentus Meconopsis grandis Arborophila mandellii Axis axis Acrossocheilus hexangonolepis Neofelis cougang Upupa epops Ophiocordyceps sinensis Cupressus cornryana Daphne odora Tor tor Delphinium glacum Cuon alpinus Pinus wallichiana Platanista gangetica Presbytis geei Tor putitora Naemorhedus goral Bos gaurus Selenarctos thibetanus Pseudois nayour Larix griffithii Caprolagus hispidus Panthera pardus fusca Manis carssicaudata Prionnailurus bengalensis Magnolia grandiflora Acer spp Abominable snowman
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Musk Deer One-Horned Rhinoceros Pika Pygmy Hog Raven Red Panda Rhinoceros Rufous Necked Hornbill Rufous-Throated Wren-Babbler Rufus-Throated Wren-Babbler Sambar Satyr Tragopan Serow Snow Leopard Spotted Deer Takin Tiger Tiger Wards Trogon Water Buffalo Wedge Billed Wren Babbler White Bellied Heron Wolf

Moschus moschiferus Rhinoceros unicornis Ochotona himalayana Sus salvanius Corvas coras Ailurus fulgens Rhinoceros unicornis Aceros nipalensis Spelaeornis caudatus Spelaeomis caudatus Cervus unicolor Tragopan satyra Capricornnis sumatraensis Uncia uncia Axis axis Budorcas taxicolor Panthera tigris Panthera tigris Harpactes wardii Bubalus arnee Spenocichla humei Ardea insignis Canis lupus Source: MoA, 2006

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Table 3. IUCN red list of Animals Common Name Snow leopard Takin Pygmy Hog Leopard Tiger Red Panda Leopard cat Asian Elephant Blue sheep Clouded leopard Musk deer Water Buffalo Indian Pangolin Gaur Himalayan Black Bear Hispid hare Chital Scientific Name Uncial uncial (Panthera uncial) Budorcas taxicolor whiteii Sus salvanius Panthera pardus Panthera tigris Ailurus fulgens Prionailurus bengalensis Elephas maximus Pseudois nayour Neofelis nebulosa Moschus moschiferous Bubalus arnee Manis carssicaudata Bos gaurus Selanarctos thibetanus Caprolagus hispidus Axis axis Conservation Status Vulnerable Endangered Vulnerable Endangered Endangered Critically Endangered Near Threatened Endangered Least Concern Vulnerable Vulnerable Endangered Endangered Vulnerable Vulnerable Endangered Least Concern

Table 4. IUCN Red of Plants Species Sl.# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Botanical Name Aquilaria malaccensis Cordyceps sinensis Gentiana crassuloides Lloydia yunnanensis Meconopsis grandis Taxus baccata Panx pseudo -ginseng Common name Conservation Status Eagle wood/ Indian Agar Vulnerable Chinese Caterpillar Vulnerable Vulnerable Snow Down Lily Vulnerable Blue poppy Vulnerable Yew Least Concern Ginseng Vulnerable

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Table 5. IUCN red list of Birds Birds Black Necked Crane Blue Magpie Blood pheasant Monal Himalayan Pheasant Tibetean Eared pheasant Cheer pheasant Pea fowl Red headed vulture Black eagle Raven Great Pied Hornbill Hornbill Pied Horbill Stork Kalij Pheasant Red Jungle fowl Cormorant Imperial pigeon Rufous Necked Hornbill Chesnut breasted patridge White bellied heron Grus nigricollis Cissa spp Ithaginis cruentus Lophophorus impejanus Tragopan spp Crossoptipon crossopt Catreus wallichi Pavo cristatus Sarcogyps calvus Ictinaetus malayensis Carvus corax Buceros bicornis Tockus spp Anthracoceros coronatus Leptolilos spp Lophura leucomelanus Gallus gallus Phalacrocorax spp Docula badia Aceros nepalensis Arboraphila mandellii
Ardea insignis

Red lists category Vulnerable Vulnerable Least Concern Least Concern Endangered Near Threatened Vulnerable Least Concern Critically Endangered Least Concern Least Concern Near Threatened Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern Endangered Least Concern Least Concern Vulnerable Vulnerable Vulnerable Critically Endangered

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CONCLUSION
Out of ten protected areas in Bhutan, Royal Manas Park is very important for our kingdom. I have tried to justify and support my statement in following paragraphs. It is the only area where different habitats from tropical to temperate region can be protected in a single reserve. Total of 8 different cat species are present within the same protected area which is very rare in the world. Recorded highest tiger density in the world as per recent tiger survey conducted (1 tiger per 25sq.km). Almost 59 mammal species recorded from the park including recent new record. 13 species are placed under totally protected mammals. Parks has one critically endangered mammal species, six endangered species, eleven vulnerable species and two near threatened species as per the latest IUCN Red List. Royal Manas National Park is known as birdlife paradise in Bhutan or in whole of the Asia. 427species are recorded during the survey in 2006 and recently 3 more species are sighted and added to the list making the total of 430 species. Still more species are expected to occur. The park has two totally protected bird species listed in Schedule I of the Forest and Nature Conservation Act, 1995 and 12 species of IUCN listed birds includes two critically endangered species, five vulnerable species and five near-threatened species , six restricted range species. Recently two more new species are recorded for Bhutan from the park area such as Malayan Night Heron and Black Baza. More than 900 species of vascular plants are found; 348 species of trees, 206 species of shrubs, 90 species of climbers and twiners and 192 herbs (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2012).

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References
Dudley, N. (Editor) (2008). Guidelines for applying protected area management categories. (p. 8). Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. Gillison, A. N. (2009). Developing a Functional Landscape-Scale Land Cover, Biodiversity, Hydrology Modeling Framework (DrukDIF) for the SLMP areas of Bhutan. Retrived April 19, 2012, from http://www.cbmglobe.org/pdf/Bhutan%20DrukDIF_Phase%20I.pdf Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. (2011). In Department of Forests and Park Services. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from http://www.moaf.gov.bt/moaf/?page_id=83 National Biodiversity Centre. (2009). Biodiversity action plan 2009.Thimphu, Bhutan: Ministry of Agriculture. Wangchuk, S. (2007). Maintaining ecological resilience by linking protected areas through biological corridors in Bhutan. Retrived April 18, 2012, from http://www.tropecol.com/pdf /open/PDF_48_2/05%20Wangchuk.pdf Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. (2006). Forest and Nature Conservation Rules of Bhutan. Thimphu, Bhutan: Ministry of Agriculture. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2012). Royal Manas Park(RMP).United Nation. Retrived April 18, 2012, from http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5698/

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