A Participatory and Multi-Scale Diagnosis for Developing a Soil Conservation Strategy for Eastern Bhutan

Land degradation by soil erosion and landslides has been recognised as a constraint for sustainable land-use in Eastern Bhutan for a few decades. However, the extreme diversity in agro-ecological zones, the relative inaccessibility of the region, the lack of reliable data and the limited research capacity made it very difficult to develop a relevant land management strategy. To address this issue, a simple diagnostic multi-scale survey was developed which integrated knowledge of land-users, extension agents and researchers. In the course of 1 year, a preliminary picture of land degradation in Eastern Bhutan emerged, including major causes, geographical differentiation and trends in land degradation. These insights enabled to formulate general guidelines for a soil conservation strategy. An important additional output was that extension services increased their awareness and knowledge about land degradation, which will enable to make future soil conservation programs more effective.