Local conservation group formed for wetland conservation project

For conservation to succeed in a community, equal community participation on conservation & institutionalization of committee in community is viewed most essential constituent to exist and keep running sustainably.

The strength on conservation is amplified only when community come forward in safeguarding their own surrounding environment. RSPN’s current project on “Wetland Conservation and Sustainable Management in Buli” broadly has four objectives, which are development of wetland management plan, institutionalization of protection and management of wetland through enhancing local capacity, awareness and advocacy program and watershed and wetland conservation activity.

With management plan nearing to completion, inception of local conservation group is already in place. After several consultation meetings on formation of local conservation committee in Buli, with the representative from Dzongkhag, Gewog, local stakeholders, business community, women representative and implementing organization, the current project has a formal conservation committee in place. The committee is named as Buli Environment Management Committee (BEMC), which is replication of local conservation group in Phobjikha.

The members were presented on the objective, provision, vision, purpose and principle of the institutionalization of such committee in Buli. The guidelines (both in Dzongkha and English) and bylaws on BEMC has been successfully developed and upon the general agreement of all, the committee members has assured to follow accordingly hereafter.

Its main objective is to develop mechanism for collective decision making within a committee for any environmental related activity taking place in Buli, and to work in close consultation and common consensus in safeguarding rich environment of Buli. The committee shall serve as linkage between implementing organization and to public in disseminating information related to project and represent the views of public.

For the sustainability and proper functioning of committee, the project has committed to arrange seed money for the operation of committee and also help in developing human capacity among members of the committee through small trainings on group management, including accounts and book keeping.

The committee members expressed their appreciation to project personals and RSPNs effort in conservation and with interests on conservation ethics that already exist in people of Buli.

Reported by: Narayan Ghalley