 |
Bhutan Nature Forests |
|
|
Bhutan Information |
|
|
 |
| Bhutan's
forests: the real picture |
 |
 |
Bhutan
has a forest cover of 64.35 percent of its land area and not 72.5 percent as it has often been quoted.
With
about 100,000 trees felled every year and about 1,000 acres of forest land lost to development activities, mining, and forest fires the actual tree-covered
forest is declining, said officials at the conference.
"The
72.5 percent figure was derived in 1983," said Dr. Sangay Wangchuk of the
nature conservation division. "It will not be correct today. It is a myth." |
|
|
The
director general of department of forest, Dasho Dawa Tshering, explained
that the 72.5 percent forest cover, as projected by the satellite image
had included river basins, shrubs and all the uninhabited land and, therefore,
had not revealed the correct picture of actual forest cover.
"It
is true that we have been losing forest cover to the increasing demand
for forest resources, and the demand is increasing each year," he added.
This
he attributes to the large-scale construction all over the country. The
growing real estate, construction of roads, schools, health centres and
gup's offices in the districts cleared away significant chunks of forest
land.
 |
| Mining
activities were also on the rise. About 50 applications seeking forestry
clearance for mining was lying with the department at the moment and forest
fires were common during the dry winters, the director general added.
Officials
at the conference said that most data still being used were actually of
the second satellite survey carried out in 1989 and published in 1995.
|
|
One
official said that no study or survey had been carried out since as it
entailed huge expenditure.
"But
we have everyday records showing how much forest is cleared for development
activities, for mining, and by forest fires. We cannot therefore, quantify,
but we are losing from the 64.5 percent."
Prime
Minister and minister for agriculture, Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup, said that
the country had lost about 2,737 acres of forest to development activities,
about 975 acres to mining, stone and sand quarries and about 19 acres annually
to forest fires. About 2.1 million cubic feet of timber annually, or about
100,000 trees, was used and 1.1 percent of the forest was considered degraded.
He
pointed that, at this rate, maintaining a 60 percent forest cover, as spelled
out by the forestry policy and as mandated by the National Assembly, would
be difficult.
"The
threats our forest reserves is facing today is genuine and the consequences
of a depleting forest would be severe on the socio-economy of the country,"
said Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup.
Forestry
officials and conservationists across the country presented studies, research
findings on sustaining forest resources, enhancing the image of forestry,
institutional strengthening and human resource development and on natural
resource management. |
 |
The
'Forest Management Code of Bhutan' was also launched at the conference.
Hailed as the 'bible' of the department, the document that took six years
to compile guards and warrants scientific forest management plans based
on field analysis, according to Dasho Dawa Tshering.
| This
article was contributed by Bishal Rai, KUENSEL, Bhutan's National Newspapaper |
 |
top
| Wildlife and People in Bhutan |
|
| Information on Bhutan |
|
| Links |
|
 |
|
External
links |
 |
Bhutan
Ministry of Agriculture
Renewable
Natural Resources
MOA |
|
|
 |
|
