The Kingdom of Bhutan is a relatively small country, of less than 40,000 square kilometers, situated in the eastern Himalayas. However, it has a wide range of land types, ranging from mountains of over 7,000 meters in the Himalayan north of the country, through conifer and broad leaf forests in the central region, to sub-tropical plains in the south. Deep valleys exist between the mountains, with fast flowing rivers that feed into the plains of India.
Bhutan's 700,000 people are mostly advocates of Buddhism, with Hinduism the second most common religion. Buddhism teaches respect for all life, which naturally leads to the need to protect the natural environment and for conservationism. Bhutan has adopted these principles.
Biodiversity in Bhutan
Bhutan is recognized as being in the top 10 of bio-diverse countries in the world, with more than 770 species of birds and more than 5,400 species of plants having been recorded in the country. Many more are believed to be unrecorded.
According to the Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation, Bhutan has many rare, often endangered, animal species.
In the high altitude region these species include snow leopard, blue sheep, red panda, tiger, and takin.
In the temperate zone these species include tiger, leopard, goral, serow, grey langur, macaque, Himalayan black bear, red panda, and barking deer.
In the lush tropical forests of the south, these species include tiger, clouded leopard, elephant , greater one-horned rhinoceros, water buffalo, golden langur, gaur, swamp deer, hog deer, pygmy hog, hispid hare, piliated langur, sloth bear, and four species of hornbills (Rufousnecked, Wreathed, Pied and Great Indian).
Takin, the National Animal of Bhutan
The Takin, the national animal of Bhutan, is classified by taxonomists in a class of its own: Bu-dorcas taxicolor. They migrate to higher land, above 3.700 meters, in the summer to avoid the parasites of the lower valleys and to mate, and descend to their winter grazing grounds between 2,500 and 3,000 meters by late October.
Black-necked Crane
The Black-necked Crane, called the Thrung Trung Karmo in Bhutan, is featured in many Bhutanese songs and folk stories. Black-necked cranes are depicted in the paintings on the walls of temples. Black-necked cranes are an endangered species that migrates from Tibet to Bhutan in late autumn and stay till the middle of March.
Commitment to Biodiversity
Bhutan created a set of protected areas in the 1960s to protect its biodiversity. In 1992, the Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation was created to manage and preserve Bhutan's animals, birds, and plants. It now manages 10 formally protected ares, covering over 16,000 square kilometers, or 42% of the country's land mass:
- Wangchuck Centennial Park
- Torsa Strict Nature Reserve
- Jigme Dorji National Park
- Royal Manas National Park
- Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park
- Thrumshingla National Park
- Bumdelling Wildlife Sanctuary
- Sakten Wildlife Sanctuary
- Khaling Wildlife Sanctuary
- Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary
Wangchuck Centennial Park
Wangchuck Centennial Park, the most recently created protected area in December 2008, is a tribute to the visionary, selfless leadership of the Wangchuck dynasty, who have been the country's monarchs since 1907. It is the country's largest park, covering 4,914 square kilometers. Species in the park include Royal Bengal Tiger, Snow leopard, Wolf, Takin, and Himalayan Black bear.
Royal Manas National Park
The Royal Manas National Park is the conservation showpiece of Bhutan, with habitats that range from lowland tropical forests to permanent ice fields in an area that ranges from 150 to 2,600 meters. The park is home to 4 rare species, Golden langur, Pygmy hog, Hispid hare, and Ganges River Dolphin, as well as being the only park with Greater one-horned rhinoceros and Asiatic wild buffalo.
Sources:
Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation, accessed on September 5, 2011
National Parks in Bhutan, accessed on September 5, 2011
Mark Tibbits - A professional writer and educator who writes about Astrology, South Asia/China, the UK, the British Royal Family, and Religion.
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