Title
Bhutan’s initiatives towards theconservation and sustainable
management of biological resources in
the 21st century.

Introduction to the Kingdom ofBhutan.
 Located on the mountainous southern slopes of
the Eastern Himalayas and is landlocked between
the Tibetan autonomous region of China in thenorth and India on the other frontiers with a total
area of 40, 077 square kilometers .
 Prominent landscapes :The southern foothills,The
inner Himalayas and The high Himalayas.

pictureBiodiversity and the Status of Biological
Resources in Bhutan Bhutan is ranked in the top ten percent of countries withthe highest species density in the world.
 The diverse geophysical elements of high, rugged
mountains interlaced with deep valleys with microclimatic
environments have endowed Bhutan with an array of
biodiversity both wild and domesticated at the ecosystem,species and genetic levels.

Wild terrestrial species diversity of
Bhutan The High-altitude fauna: “Flagship" species - snow
leopard, blue sheep, red panda, tiger, and takin.
 Temperate zone: Tiger, leopard, goral, grey langur
and macaques are found, Himalayan black bear, redpanda, sambar and barking deer.
 Animals :Tiger, clouded leopard, elephant, greater
one-horned rhinoceros, , gaur, swamp deer, hogdeer, pygmy hog, piliated langur and four species ofhornbills.

National animal

Natural vegetation
 Narrow lowland tropical fringe: Tropical vegetation
including flood-plain grasslands, sal forest and tropicalsemi-evergreen forest.
 Subtropical evergreen broadleaf forests:Conifer forests
rich in non-wood forest products include numerous
medicinal and aromatic plants, wild edible plants andplants for construction materials.
 Medicinal plant: More than 300 species of medicinal
plants ,400 species of orchids, and over 5500 vascularplant species .

National flower

Diversity of Domestic Floral andFaunal resources Rice is the major cereal in Bhutan, cover about 90% of
the total rice growing areas in the country .
 Maize is the most important crop in terms of the area
under cultivation and various land races exist.
 The main domestic livestock in the different regions of
Bhutan are cattle, yaks, poultry, pigs, , sheep and dogs.

Major threats to Bhutan’s
Biodiversity
 Land conversion
 Replacement of indigenous species
 Brown sector activities Lack of awarenessBiodiversity Conservation Efforts inBhutan
 Conservation and preservation of Bhutan’snatural endowment has been largely possible
given the strong political support andleadership of the country, and the strong
conservation ethic of the Bhutanese people .
 Bhutan’s conservation efforts locally havebeen both in-situ and ex-situ .

In-situ Conservation Efforts in Bhutan Bhutan has managed more than 70% of the land area
under forest cover for the conservation of natural
biodiversity and the environment.
 The in-situ conservation of wild biodiversity in Bhutan ismainly inside protected areas, comprising of 26.23% of
the total land area .
 In 2002, 9% of the land area assigned for biologicalcorridors,as migratory pathways among the country’s
system of protected areas for environmentalconservation.

Conservation inside the Protectedarea
 The nine protected areas - four national parks, four
wildlife sanctuaries and one strict nature reserve.
 Two reserves in the northern high altitude zone, four inthe temperate zone from east to west and another threeremain along the tropical fringe.
 Three national parks are rated as of global
significance according to the eco-regional studies
undertaken by World Bank .

Conservation Outside the ProtectedArea
 Outside protected areas, significant wetland managed
for specific species- the black-necked crane refuge ofPopjikah valley by the Royal Society of Protection ofNature.
 An in-situ orchid garden and a rhododendron garden
is identified in the western and central regions .
 Social forestry and community forestry for theconservation of native tree species.

Active Organizations
 Agro biodiversity Conservation Project for thedocumentation and inventory of the local species
using indigenous knowledge for the use andmaintenance of the species.
 Other Projects include the Biodiversity use andconservation Asia project for the preservation oftraditional knowledge in maize and rice production
systems .

Protected area (map)Biodiversity Management byGovernment Institutions
 Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) National Biodiversity Center (NBC) The Nature Conservation Division (NCD) Renewable Natural Resources Sector (RNR
 National Environment Commission (NEC).
 Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation
 Non governmental WWF and the RSPN in Bhutan
programs

Ex- situ Conservation in Bhutan Establishment Royal Bhutan Gene Bank forconservation and utilization of plant and animal
genetic resources.
 Establishment of national botanical garden on 58
acres of land near the capital city.
 National Herbarium with 17,000specimen forhaving record on the sample of flora.
 Looking forward for the establishment of fieldmuseum for scientific researchNational Policies and Legislation for
Biodiversity Management in Bhutan
 Mainly focus on biodiversity issue prioritizing
the protected area associated with conservation
information.
 The Environment Assessment Act 2000.
 Forest and Nature Conservation Rules 2000.
 The Biodiversity Action Plan for Bhutan, 2002.
 Biodiversity Act ,2003

Local Community’s Contributions toBiodiversity
 More than 70% of the people in rural areas
dependent on the forests and agriculturalproducts.
 Agro-forestry or other forms of diverse integrated
management systems are common in agriculturalland.
 Sustainable management of forestry resources istaking place in the form of social forestry .
 Local forest manage on government reserve landby Community management plan.

International Undertakings andInitiatives

 The Convention on Biological Diversity at theUnited Nations Conference on Environment anddevelopment in 1992.
 Framework for Climate Change, which was ratified
by the National Assembly in 1995.
 The World heritage Convention on 22nd October
2001.

Conclusion The Bhutanese with the age old cultural traditional
respect for nature and all life forms are aware about theconsequences of over exploiting the earth’s natural
resources for self and economic gains .
 This is not only from cultural belief but also survival
and well-being of the hilly people to take properconservation and management ensuring sustainable
management followed by the middle path approach is
the ultimate goal of national gross happiness for thepresent and future generation.