Drinking water woes for the communities living in and around the Jomotsangkha Wildlife Sanctuary (JWS) in Samdrupjongkhar will soon be a thing of the past, thanks to the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Climate Crowd Initiative.
According to WWF, Climate Crowd is investing Nu 2.9 million in collaboration with Samrang and Langchenphu gewogs, along with JWS office, to restore vital drinking water and irrigation systems. The project is expected to benefit over 1,173 residents living in and around the park.
The main concern for people living within JWS was water, who repeatedly called for the need for reliable water sources.
In a recorded message, Nikhill Advani, Senior Director for wildlife and climate resilience, WWF-US said that the long term goal of climate crowd is to replicate successful ideas from the climate crowd initiative elsewhere in Bhutan and other countries.
An official from WWF said, “The interventions are aimed at securing drinking and irrigation water, providing alternative means of livelihood and reducing human-wildlife conflicts in the communities.”
In addition, the official said that the project supporting drinking water and irrigation restoration work will benefit over 1173 people living in and around the park.
Through the Climate Crowd Initiative, in 2024 about thirty three JWS community members were interviewed to understand the impact of climate change. About 85% of the respondents reported that there has been a reduced availability of fresh water and 79% of the respondents reported a reduction in crop yields where 36% of them reported increase in wildlife raiding crops, among others.
Similarly, the JWS community also reported hotter days causing more diseases in the community and other weather phenomena like flooding, landslides and storms, among others during the interview.
In addition, the climate crowd initiative also found that the JWS community is facing freshwater availability and due to reduced crop yields, the community depends on nearby markets for food and other item.
To address the climate change in the community, the JWS community has increased their conservation efforts knowing the impacts of environment and natural resources. According to WFF, the JWS community has created community forest, planting trees, stopping from grazing cattle, among others.
Seventy-five community members were also interviewed in Jigme Dorji National Park (JDNP) during the key informant survey in 2024. Over 60% of the respondents reported that there is less wild food around their communities, especially cordyceps and medicinal herbs which are key sources of livelihood.
With the declining figures of these plants and fungi, 19% of the respondents said their income was dwindling retrospectively.
Similarly, over half of the respondents reported a decrease in water availability because their water source has dried (57%). This has impacted availability of water for drinking and irrigation which further resulted in reduced pasture availability (35%) and crop yields (24%).
Interventions were co-developed with the community to address the challenges, according to WWF.
For instance, an incense processing unit will also be established in Soe gewog (block) and Yaksa village as alternative means of livelihood. The project intervention is expected to help improve the income of the community members.
In addition, a 6.2-kilometer chain-link fencing will also be built in Draagchukha, to promote human-wildlife coexistence. The official said that project interventions worth Nu 3.05M will be implemented in JDNP.
Meanwhile, WWF-Bhutan and the Department of Forests and Park Services (DoFPS) launched the Climate Crowd Initiative in Thimphu on January 28, 2025. The project aims to support communities living in and around protected areas adapt to a changing climate and reduce pressure on nature.
Climate Crowd is a bottom-up community-driven initiative. Working with communities and local organizations in over 30 countries, the initiative collects data on climate impacts on communities, analyzes and presents the data back to the communities. Project partners then work with the communities to develop, fund and implement on-the-ground solutions that help people and nature adapt to climate change impacts.
Unlike conventional climate adaptation projects that rely primarily on scientific models, Climate Crowd prioritises firsthand community experiences, gathering local perspectives on changes in natural resources and livelihoods.
Sherab Dorji from Thimphu