Land use change in rural Bhutan – Implications for forest carbon stocks and climate change mitigation

Sigyel Delma; Don Gilmour; Katherine Warner; Karma Jigme Temphel; John Herbohn

doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.108064

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Land use change in rural Bhutan – Implications for forest carbon stocks and climate change mitigation

Journal article

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Land use change in rural Bhutan – Implications for forest carbon stocks and climate change mitigation

Sigyel Delma, Don Gilmour, Katherine Warner, Karma Jigme Temphel and John Herbohn

Land Use Policy, Vol.168, pp.1-13

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.108064

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Abstract

Additional carbon sequestration

Community forestry

Land abandonment

Outmigration

Regenerating forests

Land use in Bhutan has undergone substantial change over the past several decades. Forest cover increased by about 1100 km² and shrubland by about 2000 km² during the 25-year period to 2020, mostly at the expense of agricultural land. Using participatory rural appraisal techniques to assess perceptions of stakeholders on the extent and direction of land use changes and the impacts on forests, revealed that there have been major changes to farming systems in recent decades. Most are associated with changed animal husbandry practices (large reduction in sheep and cattle numbers and shift from open range grazing of local cattle breeds to stall feeding of improved breeds), cessation of shifting cultivation, abandonment of agricultural land and less intensive agricultural practices. An estimated 50–400 ha per village of abandoned grazing land, shifting cultivation areas and other state reserve forest lands are now converting to shrublands and forests. There is a possibility of bringing some or all of this land under Community Forestry management with the explicit aim of increasing forest biomass and carbon sequestration. If each of the existing 839 community forests across Bhutan is increased by about 50 ha, an additional 0.12 million MgCO2 could be sequestered annually, generating a potential annual revenue of about $US 1.2 million if the additional carbon could be sold into the carbon market.

Details

Title: Land use change in rural Bhutan – Implications for forest carbon stocks and climate change mitigation
Authors: Sigyel Delma (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Don Gilmour - University of the Sunshine Coast
Katherine Warner - University of the Sunshine Coast
Karma Jigme Temphel - Green Bhutan Corporation Limited (Bhutan)
John Herbohn - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Land Use Policy, Vol.168, pp.1-13
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.108064
ISSN: 1873-5754
Data Availability: Data will be made available on request.
Grants: Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship, RTP, Department of Education (Australia, Canberra)
Grant note: This work was supported by a tuition fee offset scholarship of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) and the University of Sunshine Coast.
Organisation Unit: Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; Forest Research Institute; School of Law and Society
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991226929702621
Output Type: Journal article

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