Development of an Effective Forest Fire Management Strategy for Bhutan

Forests play an integral role in the overall development of Bhutan by virtue of being the largest renewable natural resource. It is generally believed that forest fire is the primary cause of loss in forest cover and therefore poses the single most important threat to the national objective of maintaining 60 percent forest cover. Catastrophic forest fires also undermine national conservation and developmental efforts. In view of this the development of a national strategy on forest fire management in Bhutan has been identified as a priority need by the Royal Government. This paper has attempted to broadly assess current status of forest fire management in Bhutan, and recommend ideas for future management efforts and strategies based on this assessment. The assessment is based on review of relevant literature and results of a questionnaire survey conducted among Bhutanese foresters on forest fire management in Bhutan.