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The nitty-gritty of Community Forests in Bhutan


No. of CFMG members in Dzongkhags

One of the objectives of the Department of Forests and Park Services (DoFPS) is to ensure people’s participation in sustainable forest resource management to improve the functions of forest ecosystems and enhance rural livelihoods from forest resources. Meeting this objective is pursued through Community Forest Programme which is the transfer of the primary responsibility for management (protection, development and utilization) of forest near villages to local management groups called CFMGs.
“Community forestry is not only restricted to tree management, rather it is a community based natural resource management encompassing catchment’s protection, NWFP and rehabilitation of degraded areas” earlier stressed one of Social Forestry official.
Statistically, with 300 approved CFs in the Country as of 31st March 2011, the department has now achieved 60% against their 10th plan target of 500 numbers of community forests. These CFs are spread across the nook and cranny of the Country providing not only easy access to the timbers and other forest products but also enabling members of Community Forest Management groups (CFMGs) to generate much needed income. Such income generating avenues for rural folks have direct bearing on government’s thrust of fight against poverty.
The number of Community Forests is not evenly spread among Dzongkhags. The analysis done unveiled that from among the 20 Dzongkhags, Wangduephodrang, with 30 approved has the highest number of CFs followed closely by Trashigang with 29. Gasa has the lowest with 5 number of CFs. Two eastern neighbouring Dzongkhags of Mongar and Lhuentse shares equal number of CFs incepted while Pemagatshel, Thimphu and Zhemgang Dzongkhags has 14 each. Only three Dzongkhags has less than 10 CFs. The average Community Forest establishment in the Dzongkhags is calculated at 15.
no of community forests in dzongkhags

This difference in the number of CFs within the Dzongkhags is mainly due to the area of potential Government Reserved Forests, interest of the local community, size of the Dzongkhag and many other attributes as pointed out by KJ Temphel of Social Forestry Division.
As is the number of CFs in the Country, the numbers of households registered as CFMG are equally erratic among the Dzongkhags. There are total of 14103 households who are the Community Forest user group members of 300 CFs in Bhutan. Wangdi Dzongkhag may have the highest No. of CFs but they’ve only 980 h/hs as CF members. The huge size of the Tashigang Dzongkhag is represented in huge number of CFMGs. It has highest of whooping 1672 h/hs enrolled as beneficiary of 29 CFs.
With 1372 households, Tsirang stands in the second step of the podium in terms of registered CF members with Paro standing a step below in the third. Gasa Dzongkhag in the north has least CFs as well as least no. with only 132 households engaged as Community Forest Management Group. Atleast 5 Dzongkhags has more than 1000 households of CF user group while 9 other has more than 500 but less than 1000 CFMGs. Remaining 6 Dzongkhag has less than 500 households united as CFMGs. There are on an average 705 no. of CFMGs enrolled as member of CF user groups in twenty Dzongkhags.

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