Chencho Dema

Punakha—Seventy-three-year-old Dorji Rinchen, a resident of Toedwang gewog in Punakha, no longer has to sacrifice his sleep to guard his six acres of wetland from wild boars and other animals. Thanks to a new initiative by the Royal Society for Protection of Nature, the burden of watching over his fields until dawn has been lifted.

The electric fencing project was inaugurated yesterday—a significant step in the fight against human-wildlife conflict.

The fencing, which has been implemented in six villages, benefits 42 households and protects around 90 acres of farmland. This 17-kilometre stretch of electric fencing was funded at a cost of Nu 2.5 million and is part of a five-year project aimed at developing ecosystem-based solutions for managing biodiversity in the country.

The initiative is supported by the International Climate Initiative and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection of the German Government. This project, which was started in 2021,  will end in 2026.

The senior project officer for the Sustainable Livelihood Division with RSPN, Karma Wangchuk, said that the electric fencing serves multiple objectives centered on containment, protection, and deterrence.

“Its primary goals include containment of livestock, protection of crops and property, enhanced security, reduction of predator threats, minimisation of human-wildlife conflicts, and providing a cost-effective solution,” he said.

Dorji Rinchen said that the community had built 11 temporary sheds around the fields for protection, with one person from each household taking turns to guard the crops overnight.

Phub Namgay, another resident, said that half of their produce was often lost to wild animals, preventing them from generating sufficient income.

However, since the installation of the electric fencing, there have been no reported attacks on crops as the paddy harvest season approaches.

Karma Wangchuk said that these livelihood interventions are designed to protect the critically endangered White-Bellied Heron (WBH) and its habitat.

Prior to the project’s implementation, residents were cutting timber from the nearby banks of the Phochhu River to create poles for fencing. This threatened local wildlife and highlighted the need for sustainable solutions to protect both the environment and the community’s livelihoods

Currently, High-Density Poly-ethylene (HDPE) pipes are used for the electric fence. The HDPE poles not only reduce the impact on local forests but also enhance the durability and effectiveness of the fencing system.

A juvenile WBH was spotted in Samdingkha last year.

As per 2024 survey, there are 25 WBH and three WBHs were spotted along upstream of Punatsangchhu.