Natural Resource Mangement Group
Type: Approaches
Creation: 2014-07-15 00:00 Updated: 2017-08-03 12:25
Compilers: Karma Dorji
Reviewers: Fabian Ottiger
Country/ region/ locations where the Approach has been applied
- Country: Bhutan
- Further specification of location (e.g. municipality, town, etc.), if relevant: Trashigang Dzongkhag, Radhi geog
Description of the SLM Approach
Short description of the Approach
Natural Resource Management Group consisting of village representatives to advocate, plan and implement SLM activities at geog level
Detailed description of the Approach
Aims / objectives: The Natural Resource Management (NRM) Group was formally established in Radhi geog in 2000 with representatives from all 20 chiogs of the geog. The main tasks of the group are to :1)mobilise local communities in rehabilitating and protecting natural resources from further degradation and 2) to support geog administration, RNR staff and other agencies in planning, implementing and monitoring sustainable natural resource management activities. Radhi geog in Trashigang Dzongkhag, East-Bhutan, has been confronted with severe land degradation as a result of unsustainable land management practices, such as deforestation, overgrazing and poor irrigation water management. The land degradation processes are related to high population pressure and a series of conflicts between chiogs and with neighbouring geogs about use and access to natural resources. Various stakeholders, engaged with reduction and mitigation of land degradation in Radhi, felt the need for a local institution, which should play a pivotal role in advocacy of sustainable management of natural resources. The group was also intended to assist in implementing remedial and preventive measures at village level.
Methods: The NRM group fulfilled a key role in the afforestation program for the Radhi wa-tershed, in particular the very active Chongdiri ravine, which has caused wide-spread loss of arable land and forced resettlement of households, because of a very active landslide area. The chiog representatives, united in the NRM group, mobilized villagers to actively participate in the afforestation and fencing of the buffer zone. This zone was created to arrest the critical land degradation and change unsustainable land management practices, such as free grazing cattle and irrigated paddy cultivation in an active mass movement area.
Seed money was provided to establish a group fund to provide small-scale loans to households for agricultural inputs in order to overcome existing credit access constraints. The intention was to enhance the viability and sustainability of the NRM Group.
Stages of implementation: Over the last 5 years approximately 250 loans have been disbursed of about US$60 each. The NRM group has a loose umbrella function at geog level over a number of sub-groups at chiog level, related to private forestry, community forestry, bamboo and rice marketing, water user associations and land man-agement. The present group structure needs to be reviewed to adapt to the large number of emerging sub-groups.
Photos of the Approach
- 📍 Radhi, Trashigang
- 📷 Hans van Noord (Schoutenkamp 43 Heteren The Netherlands)
- 📍 Radhi geog, Trashigang
- 📷 Hans van Noord (Schoutenkamp 43 Heteren The Netherlands)