JNU's Student Assigment in 2016: Forest Resources of Bhutan and Its Economic Development

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.