Crane Tsheyphell is Back!!!

After spending 9 months and 12 days in the wetlands of the Tibetan Plateau in China, Crane Tsheyphell is back in the Phobjikha valley for the winter. Tsheyphell left the summer site, Yamcho Yumco, on 8th December, 2023, at around 10:20 AM and reached a place called Jerela at 02:09 PM, located behind the giant Jomolhari peak. The next day, Tsheyphell began his flight at around 8:50AM from Jerela and reached Phobjikha at 11:10 AM. Crane Tsheyphell was tagged with GPRS/GSM transmitter in the winter of 2020 and has been unraveling a lot of stories for us.

This study is conducted by RSPN in partnership with the Department of Forest and Park Services and NABU International with the fund support of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.As of today, we have counted 473 Black-necked Cranes including 44 juveniles in Phobjikha. 

Crane Tsheyphell is Back!!!

After spending 9 months and 12 days in the wetlands of the Tibetan Plateau in China, Crane Tsheyphell is back in the Phobjikha valley for the winter. Tsheyphell left the summer site, Yamcho Yumco, on 8th December, 2023, at around 10:20 AM and reached a place called Jerela at 02:09 PM, located behind the giant Jomolhari peak. The next day, Tsheyphell began his flight at around 8:50AM from Jerela and reached Phobjikha at 11:10 AM. Crane Tsheyphell was tagged with GPRS/GSM transmitter in the winter of 2020 and has been unraveling a lot of stories for us.

This study is conducted by RSPN in partnership with the Department of Forest and Park Services and NABU International with the fund support of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.As of today, we have counted 473 Black-necked Cranes including 44 juveniles in Phobjikha. 

Fostering Regional Partnership for saving critically endangered White-bellied Heron from extinction

With an objective to foster Regional Conservation Partnership between India and Bhutan towards the conservation of critically endangered White-bellied Heron (WBH) from extinction, officials from the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN) and Department of Forest and Park Services (DoFPS) visited the Namdhapha National Park and Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh from 1st to 8th November 2023 under the financial support of India Bhutan Foundation.

Lessons and good practices learnt from the visit: Concerted and coordinated regional collaboration among the WBH range countries is indispensable given the transboundary nature of WBH. Without collective effort, an exemplary WBH conservation practice in one country may tackle part of the issue only.  

There is an imminent need in developing a country-specific WBH Conservation Action Plan, especially for WBH range countries such as India and Myanmar. Bhutan has one prepared already and it is under implementation. Once the country specific conservation plan is developed, scaling it up to regional conservation plan is essential. 

It is important to share and disseminate lessons learnt, best practices and research findings of WBH among the WBH range countries through international seminars, workshops and institutional visits. A similar exchange visits for the Indian counterpart to Bhutan will add value as Bhutan seems to be ahead in the conservation of White-bellied Heron. 

For a WBH conservation to succeed and ultimately save it from extinction, tripartite collaborations among CSOs, Governments and communities in all WBH range countries are critical.   

The RSPN Team found the visit to be educative and timely and would like to thank India Bhutan Foundation (IBF) for the financial support and ATREE (An NGO in India working on Ecology & Environment and currently undertaking research on WBH) for facilitating the visit, including logistics.

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Meeting between Green Climate and RSPN

IA meeting between the officials of RSPN Bhutan and Green Climate Fund Secretariat was held at the sideline of #COP28UAE event in Dubai. The officials from both sides updated the developments in the respective organization and delved to seek more future engagement and collaboration on the climate front.

With the RSPN’s enriched experiences in project coordination and implementation, strong safeguard systems established, and a wealth of human resource capacity guided by the organisation’s charter, GCF has identified RSPN as a Delivery Partner for the implementation of Readiness grant.

The representatives from RSPN acknowledged the support received from National Designated Authority (NDA) and GCF Secretariat during the entire process of conducting the Financial Management Capacity Assessment and other fiduciary responsibilities.

As a Delivery Partner to GCF, RSPN through the support of NDA has also secured Readiness grant for the country and will be implementing climate projects from next year.

Meeting Green Climate and RSPN at COP28UAE event in Dubai

Celebration of birth of our beloved Gyalsem

On the momentous occasion of the birth of our beloved #Gyalsem, RSPN and Thimphu Dzongkhag Administration jointly celebrated the joyous occassion with the offering of prayers and butter lamps at the Shechen Nunnery, Goensho Tshamkhang, Wangbama Central School and Draktsho Vocational Training Centre for Special Children and Youth for good health, wellbeing and long life of the Gyalsem.

During the celebration, RSPN and Thimphu Dzongkhag Administration also distributed cookies and sweets.Long Live the Druk Gyalpo and The Gyaltsuen.

Celebration of the birth of our beloved Gyalsem at Wangbama Central School

Partnership for Restoration activity

RSPN and Punatsangchhu-I Hydroelectric Project Authority (PHPA-I) signed a joint  agreement in restoring some of the degraded areas within the project landscape that is also the important habitat of White-bellied Heron. The agreement signing carried out yesterday was attended by officials from PHPA-I led by Joint Managing Director and from RSPN led by Executive Director.

The restoration activity to be done through plantation will benefit in rewilding the area and significantly contribute in restoring the habitat of heron. Much larger impact would be helping in mitigating the climate change through sequestration of greenhouse gases.

The restoration activity is part of the ongoing BMUV-IKI project funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection(BMUV), Germany through International Climate Initiative (IKI) with co-funding from MAVA Foundation, Switerland and the (RSPN).

Celebration of birth of our beloved Gyalsem

On the momentous occasion of the birth of our beloved #Gyalsem, RSPN and Thimphu Dzongkhag Administration jointly celebrated the joyous occassion with the offering of prayers and butter lamps at the Shechen Nunnery, Goensho Tshamkhang, Wangbama Central School and Draktsho Vocational Training Centre for Special Children and Youth for good health, wellbeing and long life of the Gyalsem.

During the celebration, RSPN and Thimphu Dzongkhag Administration also distributed cookies and sweets.Long Live the Druk Gyalpo and The Gyaltsuen.

Celebration of the birth of our beloved Gyalsem at Wangbama Central School

Training community on Post-harvest techniques, Pests and Disease management and food processing

Agriculture plays a crucial role in economic development and has been the backbone of civilizations throughout history, providing sustenance and livelihoods to communities worldwide.

Post-harvest practice is key in keeping the harvested produce’s quality. Poor post-harvest practices and storage could lead to damage to yield, resulting in a huge loss. The post-harvest practice is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or from one form of food into other forms.

To instill post harvest techniques within the communities and also built capacity of the community members living in the White-bellied Heron Landscape, a two-day training on Post-harvest techniques, Pests and Disease management and food processing was provided. The training was attended by 44 (male 11 & 33 female) community members from Nimshong Toe and Moe chiwogs under Korphu gewog, Trongsa district.

It is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), Germany through International Climate Initiative (IKI) with co-funding from MAVA Foundation, Switzerland and the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN).

Training community on Post-harvest techniques, Pests and Disease management and food processing at Trongsa District 

Training community on Post-harvest techniques, Pests and Disease management and food processing

Agriculture plays a crucial role in economic development and has been the backbone of civilizations throughout history, providing sustenance and livelihoods to communities worldwide.

Post-harvest practice is key in keeping the harvested produce’s quality. Poor post-harvest practices and storage could lead to damage to yield, resulting in a huge loss. The post-harvest practice is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or from one form of food into other forms.

To instill post harvest techniques within the communities and also built capacity of the community members living in the White-bellied Heron Landscape, a two-day training on Post-harvest techniques, Pests and Disease management and food processing was provided. The training was attended by 44 (male 11 & 33 female) community members from Nimshong Toe and Moe chiwogs under Korphu gewog, Trongsa district.

It is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), Germany through International Climate Initiative (IKI) with co-funding from MAVA Foundation, Switzerland and the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN).

Training community on Post-harvest techniques, Pests and Disease management and food processing at Trongsa District 

Empowering Homestay Managers

Community-based Tourism plays a significant role in White-bellied Heron (WbH) conservation by raising awareness among visitors. This increased awareness can lead to a greater sense of responsibility for protecting the WbH and their habitats. In essence, homestays can serve as effective platforms to instill conservation values in visitors, foster sustainable practices, and contribute to the overall protection of the environment.

Moving forward, the Homestay Management Training held from 21st-27th August, 2023, in Gangtey-Phobjikha was a resounding success, bringing together the community people with a shared interest in enhancing their hospitality and promoting community-based tourism. The training was aimed to equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively run and manage homestay accommodations – this will help them provide better hospitality services to tourists, maintain high standards of cleanliness and hygiene, handle guest interactions, meal preparation of diverse cuisines, food safety, and address various challenges that may arise. Overall, the training aimed to empower the community to contribute to White-bellied Heron conservation through homestay initiatives and responsible tourism practices.

Participants expressed enthusiasm about the training and its relevance to their roles as potential hosts. Many found the insights into guest psychology, communication techniques, and local attraction promotion particularly enlightening. The hands-on approach and real-life examples provided during the training were well-received.

RSPN with co-financial support from Department of Tourism, Bhutan, a week-long training was attended by 66 community people of WbH landscape areas that include the six Dzongkhags of Dagana, Punakha, Tsirang, Trongsa, Zhemgang, and Wangduephodrang.

It is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), Germany through International Climate Initiative (IKI) with co-funding from MAVA Foundation, Switzerland and the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN).

Homestay Management Training held from 21st-27th August 2023 in Gangtey-Phobjikha