Bhutan

Overview

Bhutan is one of the few countries so untouched by modern development, it is actually a reverse-polluter. Seventy-two percent of its land is covered by forest and it produces so little waste and air pollution that Bhutan actually cleans more air than it dirties, thus having a positive effect on the world’s air and climate. Bhutan is one of the top ten countries worldwide in biodiversity, having an intense density of species.

Currently, 26% of the land is in national parks and protected areas, with an additional 9% designated “biological corridors” connecting all the parkland. There is a mandate that the country must be under no less than 60% forest cover at any time, in perpetuity. Within Bhutan’s borders are over 165 species of mammals, 770 species of birds, and 5,000 species of plants including 600 species of orchid, 50 species of rhododendron and 300 species of medicinal plants.

This state of environmental bliss is the result of several factors. Bhutan had been closed to rest of the world for centuries until the 1960s. Since then, Western influence has been minimal and resources have largely not been exploited beyond the modest needs of the people. Perhaps the core of the preservation comes from the heavy Buddhist influence in the country which emphasizes harmony with nature and all beings.

Now, Bhutan is facing an influx of tourism, population growth, consumerism and other potentially environmentally harmful factors. However, because of their connection with the land, Bhutan is one of the few countries that are taking measures to protect what they have before it becomes a problem. To do this, they have developed the doctrine of the “Middle Path” designed to allow economic growth without compromising the environment.

The critical component of Bhutan’s various efforts is that the local people benefit directly from environmental conservation. Where many other countries fail in their conservation work, Bhutan realizes that the best way to get people to protect their environment is with a hands-on approach that has a direct and positive impact on those in the affected communities.

Recent news

Bhutan is now working towards finding economically viable uses for their resources that do not significantly degrade the environment. Current key areas for growth include hydropower generation, non-timber forest product production, medicinal plant cultivation and ecotourism. All of these possibilities can easily get out of control and cause serious environmental damage, but if done properly by putting the controls at the beginning of the process rather than the end, along with education and understanding of benefits for the local people, these resources can provide a solid balance between ecology and economics.

The fundamental principle behind Bhutan’s long range plan is the direct local involvement and benefit from conservation efforts. By allowing the management to happen at the community level, the control is in the hands of those who interact with the environment on a daily basis rather than with distant government agencies or multinational companies. In doing so, people are far more likely to take the necessary steps to prevent environmental degradation as they are the direct recipients of the benefits and thus have a vested interest environmental preservation.

Through several forward-thinking policies and programs, as those below, along with attendance at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, Bhutan is making a concerted effort to provide long-range plans for environmental conservation.

Current Plans for the Future

• Bhutan 2020: A Vision for Peace, Prosperity and Happiness: includes ideas about “bioprospecting” for new pharmaceutical products
   
• The Ninth-Plan (2002-2007), calling for more national scientific experience and increased research.
   
• Capacity 2015, signed at the Johannesburg Summit in 2002, will allow for continued support to:
   
  • Develop the management skills of geog committees to undertake environment activities
     
  • Train them in performing small-scale Environment Impact Assessments (EIAs) for geog development activities
     
  • Implement a number of micro-environmental action plans (MEAPs)

Bhutan’s forward-thinking approach to protecting what it has, while considering the need for economic growth, will be tremendously beneficial for both the people and the environment in the decades to come.

 
 
 
Bhutan’s relative isolation has helped preserve some of the world’s most bio-diverse environments. Now modern development has required Bhutan to adopt a more deliberate conservation strategy.
—UNDP

Currently

Bhutan has taken several steps in recent years regarding the preservation of its environment. Driven by a keen understanding of the pristine natural state in Bhutan, as well as an inherent connection with the land, numerous initiatives have been developed to allow the necessary growth needed to adjust for increasing populations, urbanization and contact with the modern world, while keeping the environment healthy and diverse. See Current Environmental Initiatives in Bhutan for more information.

Programs such as the Middle Path: A National Environmental Strategy and the National Biodiversity Program, both adopted in 1998, are clear indicators that Bhutan is taking action to prevent environmental degradation. More recently, in 2000 Bhutan enacted laws requiring Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for all development and industrial activities.

Bhutan, along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is working with local communities on managing their own environmental resources by way of “micro-environmental action plans” (MEAPs). Thus, resources are maintained by those who depend on them rather than outside interests and thereby increasing conservation efforts. Currently, 202 “geogs” (local geopolitical divisions/districts) have formulated their own MEAPs.

Perhaps most importantly, efforts are being made to improve information sharing and environmental education has been increased at all levels of schooling though an environment curriculum, nature clubs and hands-on student activities.

More online resources

Visit the Bhutan links page to find out more about Bhutan’s green plans.

• Bhutan Trust Fund
• United Nations Development Programme, Bhutan
• Shangri-La Bhutan
• Yangphel Adventure Travel