Bhutan is a small country situated in one of the most diverse ecosystems of the Eastern Himalayas. Ranging in elevation from a little less than 100 m asl at its southern border to over 7000 m asl in the north, and covering only 38,394 km2 in area, this ecologically diverse country has 71% of its total geographical area under forests (FRMD 2016).

The natural resources found in these forests, along with the freshwater ecosystems, are regarded as the most valued ecosystem goods and services in Bhutan (Baral et al. 2017; ICIMOD 2017; Kubiszewski et al. 2013). Forest ecosystems and their services play a crucial role in the country’s realization of gross national happiness (GNH)(Sears et al. 2017). Close to 60% of Bhutanese people are rural and largely agrarian, and about 70% of the population is dependent on subsistence agriculture and livestock farming, which relies heavily on the forests and their resources. The forests are traditionally used as grazing grounds. Large herds of domestic cattle and migratory cattle are grazed there, while the fresh water from the forests is a source of drinking water and irrigation. Forest fodder and leaflitter collection for cattle bedding constitutes a major activity for the farming communities, and also plays a major role in nutrient transfer from forests to agricultural fields (Roder et al. 2003) thereby maintaining soil fertility with minimum chemical fertilizer inputs. Fuelwood collected from the forests is a primary source of energy providing 58% of the total energy consumed in Bhutan (DOE 2009).