The Red Panda Network – a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the Red Panda – is launching their first project outside of Nepal. In Bhutan, where Red Pandas are also indigenous, the organization works together with the Brokpa. They are a community of indigenous people living in Eastern Bhutan and mostly cattle herders.

Increasing herd sizes

The traditional rangelands used for the herds during the winter months reach into the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary. According to the UNESCO 147 bird and 20 mammal species – including the Red Panda – live in this protected area. This diversity is now under pressure. The Brokpa had to increase the size of the herds to survive. This was caused by land overuse, poor access to services and deforestation. The bad economic situation of the Brokpa therefore has a direct influence on Bhutan’s Red Pandas.

Help for the Brokpa is help for the Red Panda

That’s the reason why the Red Panda Network supports the Brokpa to achieve a better use of the land with a new project. It will use tried and tested methods of community-based land management. The aim is to secure the existence of the Brokpa – and, at the same time, to protect the habitat of the Red Pandas in Bhutan.

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You can find detailed information about the project in Bhutan on the Red Panda Network and the blog Red Panda Bhutan. Interesting facts about the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary offers the UNESCO.