Partners

The Department of Forest and Park Services (DoFPS) under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MoENR) is the BFL Program’s Executing Entity. MoENR exercises oversight on behalf of the RGoB over the human, technical and financial resources from all sources that will come together to implement the Program. MoENR is the custodian of Bhutan’s natural resources and rich biodiversity.

Department of Forest and Park Services (DoFPS) is responsible for the sustainable management of Bhutan’s PAs. With a broad mandate that includes conserving, protecting, and sustainably managing forests, watersheds; empowering communities for stewardship and livelihood enhancement and pursuing research.

Territorial Forest Divisions (TFD) are responsible, inter alia, for planning and execution of conservation activities that take place in Biological Corridors.

The DoFPS Nature Conservation Division (NCD) is mandated to develop policies related to conservation and centrally coordinate conservation activities with all PAs (National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Strict Nature Reserves, the Royal Botanical Park and Biological Corridors). This division will coordinate all conservation activities whether they are carried out in National Parks, Biological Corridors or the Royal Botanical Park. The NCD also manages the Biological Corridors Program.

The Bhutan for Life Program landscape covers 10 Protected Area Networks and 8 Biological Corridors managed by the DoFPS.

BFL Project Coordination Unit (BFL PCU) is established within Department of Forest and Park Services (DoFPS) under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (Executing Entity).

The PCU supplies planning, coordination and implementation support for the BFL Program and is the key interlocutor of the BFL Fund Secretariat. The PCU will be led by a Program Director who will be supported by a small team comprised of a Program Coordinator, an Accounts Officer, an M&E officer, an Environmental Social Safeguard Officer, and support staff and reports to Project Director.

• Strategic planning, review, coordination and facilitation of Program planning;
• Working with relevant Departments/Agencies under MoAF to (i) arrive at a consolidated operating plan for the PA managing entities and MoAF (ii) review actual implementation and adjustments to the consolidated operating plan to determine whether the Program is tracking to meet BFL Conservation Plan and other indicator targets[1] and Milestones, (iii) identify planning and implementation issues and proposed approaches to address them.
• Working with PA managing entities and Departments/Agencies of MoAF to (i) coordinate preparation of the annual work plans and budgets in line with the RGoB and BFL Program planning cycle and (ii) preparing the consolidated annual work plan and budget that forms the basis for the annual request for funding from the RGoB and the BFL Fund;
• Working with the GNHCS and MoF on budget incorporations (annual proposal/supplementary incorporation);
• Monitoring BFL Program progress and performance and use of all Program funds, and convening regular implementation reviews (quarterly, mid-term reviews, final reviews);
• Preparing consolidated technical and financial progress reports, including the Semi-Annual and Annual Progress Reports for submission to RGoB agencies and the Bhutan for Life Fund Board;
• Coordinating execution of activities in compliance with WWF’s Environment and Social Integrated Policies and Procedures, which includes the implementation of the ESMF.
• Providing technical support to PA managing entities for implementation of the Gender Action Plan (GAP), monitoring the GAP indicators and targets and reporting on progress; and
• Supporting information management for the program.
• “Other” includes indicators required by GCF reporting requirements, the ESMF and the Gender Action Plan.

10 Protected Area Networks, 8 Biological Corridors, and the Royal Botanical Garden under the Department of Forest and Park Services are the Implementing Agencies.

Department of Macro-Fiscal and Development Finance under the Ministry of Finance is the National Designated Authority to the Green Climate Fund.