Bhutan for Life - Conservation Plan.

The Bhutan for Life (BFL) Conservation Plan outlines a long-term vision to safeguard Bhutan’s protected area network, which covers over 51% of the country and plays a critical role in biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable development. Bhutan's forests, which account for over 70% of its land area, provide essential ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, water security, disaster risk reduction, and livelihood support. Guided by the country's philosophy of Gross National Happiness and constitutional commitment to maintaining at least 60% forest cover, the plan aims to ensure that conservation continues to benefit both people and nature while contributing to global climate and biodiversity goals.
The plan identifies several emerging threats that could undermine Bhutan's conservation achievements, including climate change, habitat degradation, poaching, illegal logging, human-wildlife conflict, increasing development pressures, rural poverty, declining international funding, and limited institutional capacity. To address these challenges, BFL adopts a Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model that secures long-term financing and governance commitments before implementation begins. The initiative combines government support, donor funding, and new domestic financing mechanisms over a 14-year transition period, ultimately enabling Bhutan to independently finance and manage its protected area network. The programme aims to strengthen conservation outcomes while improving climate resilience, enhancing local livelihoods, and ensuring effective management of protected areas for future generations.
The plan focuses on four integrated strategies: (1) conserving and restoring forests to maintain Bhutan's carbon-neutral status through climate-smart forest management, reforestation, biodiversity monitoring, and alternative energy solutions; (2) improving the socio-economic wellbeing of communities by promoting climate-resilient agriculture, ecotourism, sustainable livelihoods, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and community participation; (3) protecting biodiversity by strengthening habitat connectivity, restoring ecosystems, enhancing anti-poaching efforts, conserving flagship species, safeguarding watersheds and free-flowing rivers, and integrating ecosystem values into national planning; and (4) strengthening institutional capacity through improved governance, financing, staff capability, monitoring systems, infrastructure, and long-term sustainable funding to ensure effective management of Bhutan's protected area network.