Global Importance of the Country:
Bhutan is a small kingdom nestled in the eastern Himalayas between India and China. The
country is rich in biodiversity due to heavy rainfall and a range of climates associated
with the various altitudes. At present, over 64% of Bhutan is under natural forest cover,
from sub-tropical forests to temperate broadleaf forests. Over one quarter of its total
land area has been declared protected, including Manas National Park, which is part of the
Manas-Namdapha tiger conservation unit that extends on into India.
Bhutan's tigers, numbering up to 100 or so, live in a variety of subtropical, temperate
and alpine habitat types. Preserving the last intact example of temperate Himalayan forest,
Bhutan is also the only place on the Indian subcontinent where tigers living in temperate
upland forests can be conserved. Tigers are not naturally restricted to flat terrain; it is
habitat degradation and human encroachment that have often limited them to the lower
reaches of their habitat everywhere except in Bhutan. Here tigers can be found at altitudes
as high as 13,000 feet -- higher than anywhere else in the world -- where they prey on
montane species not available to tigers living at lower altitudes, like the takin -- a
bulky, tawny-colored, horned ungulate. Bhutan is home to a number of other threatened
species, such as the Asian elephant, snow leopard, wolf, golden langur, black-necked crane,
peregrine falcon, and gharial or fish-eating crocodile.
The Conservation Challenge:
The illegal but profitable trade in tiger parts for traditional medicine make tigers a
constant target of poachers, who are rarely apprehended due to weak law enforcement.
Although legislation to protect tigers exists in Bhutan, there are acute shortages of
trained manpower, inadequate facilities, and weak patrolling and other monitoring
mechanisms.
Conservation Action:
WWF has joined with the Forestry Services Division of the Royal Government of Bhutan to
develop a program of anti-poaching measures to be implemented in critical areas in the
country. Anti-poaching squads are being put in place in five key areas; Paro, Thimphu,
Punakha, Bumthang, and Shemgang, as well as adjacent to parks such as Jigme Dorji National
Park, Royal Manas National Park, Thrumsingla National Park, and Black Mountain National
Park.
WWF has also helped Bhutan launch a national tiger action plan to direct long-term,
comprehensive tiger conservation efforts in the country. Bhutanese wildlife officials have
been trained in tiger tracking and survey methods by tiger experts. A nationwide survey of
tigers using the latest techniques was recently carried out, yielding the estimate of
approximately 100 tigers in the country.
Next Steps:
Reduce poaching of tigers through intensive monitoring and mitigation of
poaching activities in Bhutan.
Strengthen wildlife trade controls and encourage Bhutan to become a party to
CITES.
Train Forestry Services Division personnel and local scientists in tiger survey
and monitoring techniques.
Develop a database of information on abundance, distribution, habitat use, and
movement patterns of tigers and their prey.
Promote conservation of tigers and other wildlife through effective
dissemination of information, and through public awareness campaigns.
Create wildlife corridors between various protected areas to facilitate
critical wildlife movements.
