The program will target towards addressing societal challenges such as climate change, food insecurity, water insecurity, and the impacts of natural disasters. It will be aimed at generating benefits for both local communities and contributing to national economic growth. Green and low-carbon development solutions will be catalyzed to deliver large-scale climate, biodiversity, resilience, and inclusion benefits. While focused on the Living Landscape (landscape outside the protected area network) and urban places as key areas, the program will also take a larger landscape approach (at district and regional levels) and support peri-urban areas and surrounding ecosystems to drive circular economic approaches and bring resource efficiency. It will work with strategic cities, sub-national and national governments, and urban actors to plan and implement sustainable solutions across energy, buildings, transport, food, and waste.

The integration of nature-based solutions in urban and peri-urban areas is expected to generate multiple environmental benefits, such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity enhancement, and land and water restoration enhancing ecosystem services. Under this activity framework, innovative financing mechanisms and bankable nature solution models to draw investments will be leveraged.

Inclusive wildlife conservation considers global imperatives and aligns with Bhutan’s National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP), and measures that aim to safeguard habitats including Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), ensuring inclusivity, land rights, and significantly to achieve a shift from human-wildlife conflict to co-existence. Embracing a One Health approach, the effort will be focused on integrated solutions that address unsafe wildlife trade, and consumption and disease transmission risks. Strategic policy and advocacy work will be stepped up to embed biodiversity goals and targets into economic and social development planning. Building on the success of SMART patrolling, satellite tracking, digital alert systems, DNA technologies, and other technology-based conservation approaches will be leveraged to address increasing cases of poaching while enhancing biodiversity monitoring capability.