A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development

Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1998

Environmental conservation has emerged as a topic of serious concern both in the developed and developing countries. At global, regional and national levels, the degrading quality of the environment is a concern of both rich and the poor. However, reactions to this concern come in the form of projects and programs that are geared towards the conservation or restoration of the natural resources and ecosystem components. These projects and programs are implemented with monetary assistance from the rich, with regulations and at best with support and participation of the local people. Some projects or programs have succeeded and some have not. The successful ones, in the modem sense enhance economic development without compromising the quality of the environment or enhance the environmental quality or the ecosystem components. Successes and failures in most cases are judged from the viewpoints of experts. It is not quite the same in case of this study. This thesis presents the results of a research study on the Black-necked crane conservation program in the valley of Phobjikha in Wangdiphodrang - Bhutan. Protecting black-necked crane and its habitat i.e., Phobjikha rests on an understanding of the crane and its habitat as part of a larger ecosystem and that it is a rare and endangered species, a matter of worldwide concern. The study is built around the views of the community people towards the BNC conservation program with emphasis on the benefit cost analysis and excludes expert or professional views. To portray a complete picture of the study area, social, cultural, economic and ecolo&rical details are included. The social, cultural, and environmental aspects that favor the black-necked cranes have adverse economic impacts on the communities by way of lost opportunities or of direct costs such as damage of crops by cranes. Phobjikha culture incorporates respect for sentient beings and bas a history of harmonious co-existence with the cranes. The economy is rural subsistence with a fairly large average family size of eight and 52.42% unproductive population. The natural limitations of the area and conservation regulations are some factors that keep the economy as subsistence. The priorities of the communities are purely economic needs identified by them as having direct or indirect trade-off with black-necked crane conservation program. There are also benefits that the people derive. A benefit cost analysis has been performed and future and past values have been derived so as to get an understanding of expected cost and benefits in the future. The benefits and costs of BNC conservation lack diversity and the greatest benefits derived by the people are intangible. Moral benefit is a major contributor to the overall benefit of the program as perceived by the community people. Some aspects that are cost to the community are benefits to the program indicating negligence of the program of its potential impacts on the program. Nonetheless, the monetary value of benefits and costs reveal the program as truly beneficial to the people. The benefit cost ratio of 3.43 indicates high feasibility of this conservation program under the assumed conditions. Dynamics analysis was carried out assuming changes in the attitude of the people in the future. Statistical test reveal that the average total benefit derived by the community is greater than expected by the program agencies although it could not be ascertained that the community was bearing lower cost than that of the program. ln general, the various components of the study revealed pros, cons and trends for which necessary recommendations have been made for an integrated approach to conservation and development initiatives in the future.