Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary

Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS)

Bumdeling forms the easternmost range for the wintering ground of the endangered Black-necked crane, and is the only place in Bhutan where Bhutan’s...

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Park Information

Faunal and Floral Diversity

Inhabitants & Livelihood

Camping & Trekking Sites

Risk & Threats

BFL's Future Achievements

Park Photo Gallery

Park Information

Bumdeling forms the easternmost range for the wintering ground of the endangered Black-necked crane, and is the only place in Bhutan where Bhutan’s Swallowtail was rediscovered after a long gap since its first discovery in 1932

Location: Covers three eastern districts of the country
Total area: 1520.61 km2
The Bumdeling floodplain was declared a Ramsar site, a wetland of international importance in 2012, one of only two in Bhutan
In March 2012, BWS was proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its cultural and natural heritage importance

Faunal and Floral Diversity

42

species of mammals

343

species of birds

202

species of butterflies

18

species of snakes

4

species of lizards

734

species of plants

Inhabitants & Livelihood

8047

people reside inside the park

Residents are primarily farmers who mainly on agriculture for livelihood

Camping & Trekking Sites

Popular trekking routes

The cultural track Aja Valley

Singye Dzong

RigsumGonpa

Phuningla

There are also a few other nature trails such as the Dongla trek and Pangla trek

Risk & Threats

Habitat loss

Habitats within the sanctuary continue to change from natural disasters and direct human interventions such as construction, collection of forest products, and littering

Flash floods

The efforts to tame the Kholong river, one of the main river systems in the park, have been only temporarily effective and there is always the danger of flash floods

Developmental activities

Climate change

The 2012 BWS socio-economic survey indicated that 94% of the households in Bumdeling believed that climate change was threatening the area, indicating warmer climate, less snow, and erratic rainfall

Species protection

The most vulnerable species within BWS are the Tiger, Snow leopard, Musk deer, and the Black-necked crane.

Threats include poaching, habitat change and disturbances, and retaliatory killing

Reduction in feeding areas

The abandonment of marginal paddy fields by farmers due to poor fertility, crop damage by wildlife and erosion of paddy fields by the Kholong river threatens to reduce the feeding area for the Black-necked crane