Royal Government of Bhutan

Ministry of Agriculture & Forests, Department of Forests & Park Services

Watershed Management Division

REDD+ Secretariat

The REDD+ Taskforce will oversee the work of three TWGs. The three groups are:
• TWG on National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS) and Reference Emission Levels (RELs)/ Reference Levels (RLs)
• TWG on Safeguards, Governance and Benefit Distribution
• TWG on Strategy Options

TWG on NFMS and RELs/ RLs
This TWG supports the
(1) design and implementation of NFMS,
2) ensure that lessons and experiences from current forest monitoring systems in Bhutan are incorporated into the NFMS design; and that lessons from similar analyses in other countries are integrated into recommendations for Bhutan’s system, and
3) assess and support the establishment of RELs/RLs and MRV in Bhutan.

The TWG on NFMS and RELs/RLs is led by Department of Forests & Park Services (Forest Resources Management Division) consisting of following members:
• Forest Resources Management Division, Department of Forests & Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests
• National Land Commission Secretariat (NLCS)
• Ministry of Works & Human Settlement (MoWHS)
• Department of Hydropower Services, Ministry of Economic Affairs
• Ugyen Wangchuk Institute of Conservation, Environment and Research (UWICER), Department of Forests & Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests

TWG on Safeguards, Governance and Benefit Distribution
This TWG will
1) support the assessment and development of safeguards as part of Bhutan’s REDD+ Readiness process, and
2) to ensure that lessons and experiences from current or previous Benefit Distribution Systems (BDS) in Bhutan are assessed in the context of REDD+ requirements; and
3) that lessons from similar analyses in other countries are integrated into recommendations for a REDD+ distribution system in Bhutan.

The TWG on Safeguards, Governance and Benefit Distribution consists of following members:
• Watershed Management Division, Department of Forests & Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests
• Bhutan Trust Fund for Environment Conservation
• Royal Society for Protection of Nature
• College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan
• Department of Macro-economic affairs, Ministry of Finance
• Social Forestry and Extension Division, Department of Forests & Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests

TWG on Strategy Options
This TWG will be responsible to lead discussions and generate proposals for strategy options to implement REDD+ activities in Bhutan through a consultative process, including the design of demonstration activities, for subsequent review by the Taskforce.

The TWG on Strategy Options consists of following members:

• Social Forestry and Extension Division, Department of Forests & Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests
• Nature Conservation Division, Department of Forests & Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests
• Forest Protection and Enforcement Division, Department of Forests & Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests
• Ugyen Wangchuk Institute of Conservation, Environment and Research (UWICER), Department of Forests & Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests
• Department of Livestock, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests
• National Soil Services Center, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests
• Natural Resources Development Corporation Limited