Introduction and Deliberation on the Review Report on Compensation Related Policies for Human Wildlife Conflict and Crops Damage caused due to Natural Calamities
The
sixth sitting of the 33rd session of the National Council commenced with a
presentation on the review report on Compensation-Related Policies for
Human-Wildlife Conflict and Crop Damage due to Natural Calamities by the
Natural Resources and Environment Committee.
The Committee shared the report, covering its introduction, background, methodology, objectives, literature review, consultation meeting reports, observations, and recommendations. On behalf of the Committee Members, the Committee Chairperson expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Department of Forest and Park Services (DoFPS) and Biodiversity Finance Initiatives (BioFin) for their financial support, which enabled the report.
The Committee shared the House that, despite some regional compensation schemes like the Gewog Environment Conservation Committee (GECC) and the Gewog Tiger Conservation Tshogpa (GTCT), there is no nationwide compensation act in place for crop and livestock damage. This gap often leaves farmers bearing the financial burden of loses, leading to issues like Satong (fallow land) and Gungtong (abandoned houses). The Committee recommends enacting new legislation or amending existing policies to provide comprehensive compensation for affected farmers.
Furthermore, the Committee highlighted that in the 13th FYP, the Government is proposing a new National Crop and Livestock Insurance Scheme to combat wildlife conflict, in collaboration with BioFin, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) led by the DoFPS.
Following the presentation, members sought clarification on the report and provided valuable feedback. The House assigned the Committee to revisit the report, taking into consideration the additional feedback proposed by the Hon’ble Members. The House will continue deliberating on the review report on Compensation-Related Policies for Human-Wildlife Conflict and Crop Damage due to Natural Calamities tomorrow.
