Dear seniors, peers and colleagues,

I would be very glad to have some discussion on this forum about some
issues of my PhD research set as below.

I have recently joined ETHZ in Switzerland to carry out PhD research
(sandwich program) where I will spend part of my time at ETHZ and
partly in Bhutan.

My research intends to focus on the history of forest administration,
look at the present situation and its possible development.

I think one variable that could be of interest to Bhutan would be to
look at the benefits from linkages between forestry and eco-tourism.

Field research will take place in Bhutan and concerns many
stakeholders. The research could be of interest to both the
Governmental and Non-Governmental organizations like the Department
of Forest, PPD, NCD, Department of Tourism, NEC, RSPN, private tour
operators and NRTI. It could also be of interest to other agencies
like Helvetas, SDC, GTZ, UNDP, WWF, WWMP, PFMP and SNV.

Therefore I would like to seek views from important Bhutanese
officials and relevant stakeholders who could give me some feedback
and inspiration on your concerns and pertinent questions.

Your expertise and views regarding the priority regions and research
areas would be very useful to give substance to my research. Your
perception and concerns about, e.g. infrastructure, marketing pattern
and staffing and skills required on the priority research areas will
be valuable.

Kindly feel free to discuss on the research topic.

D.B.Gurung
NRTI, PhD student at ETHZ