The project “Climate Change Adaptation Potentials of Forests in Bhutan – BC-Cap”focuses on research and capacity building on forests in the context of climate change.
This project represents the successful extension of a long cooperation between the Government of Bhutan, through its Renewable Natural Resources Research and Development Center Yusipang, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, and the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Environment, and Water Management, through the Vienna-based University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences.

The research components investigate resilience of forest types in Bhutan to drought and ways and means to realistically predict large scale forest disturbances such as fire hazards and bark beetle outbreaks.  In addition, the project looks at participatory approaches to climate change adaptation by promoting the planting of trees and the conservation and enhancement of carbon stocks in agricultural landscapes.  The research components of the project were carried out as individual research studies of PhD and M.Sc. students, guided by scientists of the BOKU University, Vienna, Austria.
These curricula form part of the capacity building component of the project along with the establishment of an expert group on climate change.

The research and capacity building agenda was supported by one work package focusing on translating research results generated through the project into actions relevant for society (science-society interface). This science-society interface component was in delivered in two parts, in the form of training workshops taking place in Thimphu, Bhutan.

• The first part of the science-society interface component was delivered through a training workshop on science-policy transfer organized for forest researchers, forest managers and high level forest officials in October 2013.

• The training workshop held in March 2017 constituted the second part of this science-society interfacecomponent and focused on devising an agenda for communicating BC-Cap research results to society and on the practical translation of BC-Cap research results into communication products.

1. Thimphu, Bhutan
   22 - 24 October, 2013
   Organised by: RNR Research and Development Center Yusipang, IUFRO-SPDC and Institute of Forest Ecology, BOKU University, Vienna, Austria
   Workshop Report

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2. Thimphu, Bhutan
   27 to 30 March 2017
   Workshop Report