Browsing by Subject "Bhutan"

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    Guidelines for Ecotourism and Community-based Management in Jigme Dorji National Park, Bhutan
    (2010-04-30T12:23:39Z) Kissick, Amelia
    Bhutan is a small land-locked country between India and China with a landscape ranging from subtropical plains in the south to high Himalayan peaks in the North. The country has generally isolated itself and continues to conserve its culture and environment through restricted tourism and a development policy that revolves around Gross National Happiness instead of Gross Domestic Product. At 4,349 Km2, Jigme Dorji National Park (JDNP) covers about 11% of the total area of Bhutan and has some of the highest biodiversity in the country. Given that there are also over 6,000 inhabitants in the park and increasing human-wildlife conflicts, the Royal Government of Bhutan sees ecotourism as a way to incentivize the conservation of the environment while addressing issues of poverty and unemployment. While true ecotourism is hindered by Bhutan’s tourism policy, improved collaboration among tour operators, park management, government, and community members living in JDNP will lead to more authentic ecotourism and increased benefits to stakeholders in the park. Policy recommendations and ecotourism guidelines provided are based on site visits, interviews, and the results of surveys measuring tourist and tour operator practices and preferences in Bhutan and Jigme Dorji National Park.
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    The Impacts of Rural Electrification in the Kingdom of Bhutan
    (2017-04-28) Litzow, Erin L.
    Since the 1990s, the Kingdom of Bhutan has made significant investments to achieve universal rural electrification (RE), with goals to improve education, health and employment outcomes and reduce fuelwood consumption. While planners expect that improved energy access generally enhances well-being, previous assessments of RE programs find highly varied, context-dependent impacts. To assess the impact of RE in Bhutan, I rely on survey data from three rounds of the Bhutan Living Standards Survey. Applying linear and non-linear regression methods as well as propensity score matching, I find that the RE program led to improvements in education and reduced fuelwood consumption. I find inconclusive evidence of the effects of RE on non-agricultural employment and find no effect on health. I conduct a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to compare program costs, at both the government and household levels, against estimated benefits. Household level benefits outweigh costs, and the positive net benefits are robust to variation in multiple, estimated parameters. Societal net benefits are slightly negative, but this value is likely a lower bound estimate and is sensitive to parameter variation. Based on these analyses, I conclude that Bhutan’s RE program was a partial success in the time period studied, achieving fuelwood and education related outcomes and improving welfare in rural households.