Managing Human-Tiger coexistence for the long-term in central Bhutan

The two-year project, funded by WWF-Bhutan is aimed at reducing the scale and intensity of human-tiger conflict (HTC) through an integrated conflict management approach and strategies intended to address immediate risks and, over time, make the area safe for people, their assets, wildlife, and its habitat. 

With the highest forest cover in Asia at 70.46 percent and almost 5 million acres of protected land rich in forests, pristine rivers and thriving wildlife, Bhutan’s landscape is a promising stronghold for many endangered species of global significance. However, Bhutan is predominantly an agrarian society with more than 60 percent of the population relying on agriculture for income and livelihood. 

As humans, livestock and wildlife, particularly large carnivores that require a large home range for sustenance, dominate the same landscape. Human-wildlife conflict is emerging as one of the main constraints to the country’s agricultural sustainability and has a major impact on rural people. Predation of livestock by large carnivores such as tiger, common leopard and dhole has intensified over recent years, especially in central Bhutan.  Expanding human settlements, cultivation and urban development encroaching on its natural habitat and reducing their prey base risks the tiger’s existence.  
 
The project aims to initiate and strengthen a community-based livestock insurance scheme against tigers through the establishment of the Gewog Tiger Conservation Tshogpa (GTCT) program in at least three gewogs (blocks) under Trongsa district. Through the GTCT program, the communities will benefit through improved HTC reporting, response, and compensation payment pursuant to the GTCT bylaw. Further, the project aims to reduce HTC through prevention and mitigation measures.