Jawaharlal
Nehru University
School of International
Studies(SIS)
Political & Economic Geography of South Asia
M.A in Pilitcs –Specialization in
International Relations
Semester: Monsoon
Prof: Dr. Ambrish Dhaka
Student: SUON
SOMONY (FN)
ID Card: 2015045
Assignment
Centre
for South and Central Asia Studies
School of International Studies
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi 110 067
2016-2017
Forest Resources of Bhutan and Its Economic Development
Bhutan
is a landlocked country. It encompasses an area of 46,500 kilometers, and is
bounded by India, Tibetan of autonomous religion of China. Moreover, the
country is mountainous ranges and is rich with natural resources, forest, and
rivers. According to the Bhutan Tourist Information, in 2011, Bhutan comprises
population about 7, 000,000. More than 90% of population in the country, they
follow Buddhism.
Actually, Bhutan is a small country in the South Asian region,
and its economic dimension is still low level if we compare with other
countries. It is also one of SAARC’s member countries. SAARC means that the
South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation. The SAARC was established in
1985 in aiming at economic development and progress and to seek economic
cooperation and trade between country and country in the region as a whole. The
Bhutan’s economy is dependent importantly on agriculture, livestock, and
forestry to promote, to improve, to strengthen, to develop, to enhance, and to
complete domestic demand and export market of
its nation and the whole citizen’s livelihood. At the same time, the
Bhutan’s hydroelectric power also plays important role in export sector of
country. The hydroelectric power is the Bhutan’s largest resource and is
sustainable, renewable and environmentally friendly. Bhutan has transformed
many of its social values and institutions such as the traditional perception
of people about forest as result of having rapid economic development.
Moreover, the traditional perception was a community ownership with unlimited
access to the forest for firewood, timber, and food. Besides, the modern
perception is the ownership of government with limited access to a source of
monetary income and the potential for other forms of economic land use as well.
In fact, the contributors in economic development of Bhutan are agriculture,
livestock, and forestry. Most of Bhutan’s people live in rural area and these
sectors respond to their livelihood to cultivate crop, to feed animals, and to
harvest forest products. At the same time, the hydroelectric power sector also
plays, in its position, a more and more crucial role in contributing mainly to
economic growth and continues to expand and to possess high potential the
future economic growth of Bhutan. Furthermore, in 1961, Bhutan initiated a
modern planned economic development through the formulation and implementation
of a five-year plan. This is a formulation of Bhutan’s economic policy in the
past and it is also an experience for Bhutan. On the other hand, Bhutan focused
on the establishment of basic infrastructure and subsequent plans which widened
the scope of its economic development, self-reliance, and the preservation of
cultural identity. But currently, Bhutan uses a combination of financial resources:
local resources, foreign aids, and international loads to finance its economic
development like other developing countries both in region and outside.
Moreover, economic policies of Bhutan in the present allow market forces to
operate and to strengthen the private sector to gain faster economic growth. To
achieve this growth, hydroelectric power and forestry sectors are viewed that
they are potential sector of Bhutan in promoting, improving, and developing
economy. How forest resources of Bhutan are linked to their economic
development? The importance of forestry sector is to
maintain the hydropower potential and forest investment of Bhutan. Actually,
the forest resources of country are linked to economic development through
agriculture, animal husbandry, the power sector, the households sector, overall
demand from the household and public sectors, royalties and taxes of the public
sector, the forest-based manufacturing sector, and the balance of payment both
imports and exports of forest products. The forestry is very important part of
the Bhutanese farming system, and it also helps to protect agricultural
productivity.
The agricultural productive factor, which gains from the forest
products, helps to promote, to improve, and to enhance the Bhutanese farmer’s
livelihood to be more and more. Moreover, the forest linked to economic
development through agriculture it means that the forest provides the land,
soil, air, and water requirement, and especially a major source of fertilizers
and rainwater for irrigating the agriculture. After the linkage of forest
through agriculture, it is viewed that the forestry also links to economic
development through animal husbandry. The Bhutanese people are dependent
importantly on the forest to feed animals. The livestock is the shelter,
fodder, and graving demand. Furthermore, it is an integral part of the
Bhutanese farming system and participates to support the agriculture through
provision of manure for fertilizers and draught power. The forest is an
important location for feeding animal husbandry in the Bhutan. In this regard,
the value of animal husbandry is a senior source of Bhutanese’s income, and it
is increasing better and better in the market. The large scale of feeding
animal husbandry from forest increases in the country. Besides, the forest
linked to economic development through the hydroelectric power. It is an important share to economic growth
of Bhutan. It allows Bhutan’s economic development rapidly through the sector.
However, the hydroelectric power is the largest contributor to the country’s
exchequer. The sustainability of vital source of the country’s income is
contributed by the hydroelectric power. The forest in Bhutan still plays very
important role to maintain value of beauty of country and is the largest
contributor to economic growth and development through agriculture, animal
husbandry, the household sector, and the hydroelectric power and so on. Also, the forest resources are the growing
needs of people and contributor to environment sustainability in the country as
a whole.
The forests are identified nine typologies of forests including fir
forest, mixed conifer, blue pine forest, chir pine forest, broadleaved mixed
with conifer, broadleaved hardwood forest, forest scrub, forest cover, and change
in forest cover. These typologies of forests have provided different
qualifications and taken various advantages, which are dependent on kinds of
forests and forest areas in the country. Actually, nine forest areas are
categorized to protect by Bhutan into strict nature reserves, national parks,
and wildlife sanctuaries. Also, the government’s policy for the forest
protection and promotion of tree cultivation is very exact factor and need for
Bhutanese people, especially the country as a whole. In conclusion, forest is a
major source of economic growth and development and it helps to obtain
environment sustainability of country.
Forest in Bhutan is not only an
important beautiful natural resource, but it is also a source of forest product
market to complete the needs in both domestic demand and export market of
country, especially its economic growth and progress. The government’s role in
the forest product market is very exact factor to maintain a differential
pricing policy for forest products in urban and rural area, which gives an
incentive to divert some of the subsidized forest products from rural into
urban area. The linkage of forest to economic development is dependent on the
contribution through agriculture, animal husbandry, and hydroelectric power and
so worth.
Therefore, the typologies of forests above play very important role
both the promotion of economic growth and as a source of precipitation and
condensation, especially maintenance of environment sustainability in the
country as a whole.
