If things go as per the plan, the Project titled Restoration of the Wintering Habitat of the Black-necked Crane in and around BWS through Community Based Initiatives, over 170 hectares of suitable wintering habitat would be acquired by the end of this year.

The main purpose of this Project, according to the NCC report, is to restore and improve the wintering habitat of the endangered black-necked cranes in the BWS through community based sustainable land use practices.   

In the long-term, it is expected that the population of the endangered cranes in and around BWS will be maintained at ecologically and demographically viable levels and local communities would take stewardship of conserving this biodiversity area and endangered species, states the report.

The US$ 130,000 Project was first started in January last year. Out of which, US$ 105,000 is funded by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) while US$ 25,000 is funded by UNDP.

The NCC of Tashiyangtse Dzongkhag, that would implement the project, is a non-government organization. It comprises members who are part of the local community of BWS.

The organization, since its inception, has been involved in conserving the winter habitat of the black-necked crane through river training activities. It has also been active in sensitizing and spreading awareness to local communities on the importance of the species and its continued presence in the area.

The organization has been coordinating and making efforts to work with the Wildlife Sanctuary to address the livelihood needs of local communities arising from the protected area system and at the same time explore potential benefits of conservation to local livelihoods.

Therefore, the proposed project intends to build into these ongoing activities of the organization and strengthen them, according to the report.

“The project is most relevant in this context as the wintering habitat of this rare and endangered species comprises of the paddy fields of local communities which are kept fallow to provide winter habitat to the species,” states the report.

Threats by inundation of the river has not only degraded and destroyed the habitat of the species but has had an adverse impact on the livelihoods of local communities who have lost valuable cultivable land. Therefore this project, a different of a kind, aims to not only restore and conserve the habitat of the black-necked crane, but will also support the livelihoods of local communities.

Trashiyangtse district administration and  the SNV, the Netherlands, are assisting in the implementation of the works.   

The district administration will facilitate the process and support the technical backstopping of the project, develop capacity of the community members, facilitate meetings, monitor and supervise the project activities. The District administration earlier facilitated the community participation and consultations in designing, planning and formulation of the project activities.

The BWS will provide technical support for the implementation of project activities where as the SNV of  the Netherlands will provide technical support for the project.

Other assisting organization and agencies include the Global Environment Facility through the Small Grant Program of UNDP, which will co-fund eco-tourism development initiatives of the communities and compliment the conservation activities of CEPF grant.

Given the recognition of the committee members and local communities as the key implementers of the project activities, they will prioritize need-based project activities and operate the budget.

Meanwhile, the WWF Bhutan Program will also provide technical support through the CEPF program for all project activities.

The design of the project is based on the current situation of the wintering habitat of the cranes- the paddy fields of communities living in and around the Sanctuary.

The project idea came out of the field visit of key stakeholders into the source of the river in March 2008. Repeated stakeholder consultations in Trashiyangtse and field visits in BWS in August 2008 also contributed to the design of the project, the report stated.

As the wintering habitats of the black-necked crane comprises the paddy fields of local communities, the Wildlife Sanctuary norms on the other side compels them to keep the farms fallow as long as the wintering birds are present.

And this is seen as a major challenge often resulting into subtle conflict between the communities and Wildlife Sanctuary as the communities are dependent on agriculture and lose out during winter.