In many parts of the Asian Himalayas, the forests of the mid-mountain zone ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 metres above sea level have been cleared extensively for agriculture. Bhutan is in the unique position of having much of the forest in this zone still intact. The Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, covering an area of 1,400 km2, is one of the protected areas created to conserve these temperate old-growth forests and their wildlife. The Nature Conservation Division under the Department of Forests of the Bhutanese government is mandated to manage the park. Around 5,000 people living in the park area practise traditional agriculture and keep livestock. When the park was established in 1993 the policy was to respect the existing land and grazing rights of these local communities. These rights relate not only to the village area, but also to extensive areas scattered throughout the main forest, which are used for grazing livestock.
