A large number of people in Bhutan earn their livelihood by selling resin extracted from chirpine trees. But the question being raised these days is whether the socio-economic benefit to the villagers is more important than the damage caused to the natural environment. A Zangpo, a researcher at the government-funded Khangma forestry project, said the damage to chirpine forests can upset the biodiversity in the area. He said that hundreds of trees have been destroyed because of tapping that began several years ago.
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