Background:
Located in the Eastern Himalayas, Bhutan is one of the ecological wonders of the world. The country straddles two biographical realms: the Pale arctic realm of the temperate Euro-Asia and the Indo-Malayan realm of the Indian sub-continent. The result is a nation rich in biodiversity with its natural forest cover largely intact. The biomes in Bhutan stretch from subtropical in the south through temperate in the central interior, to an alpine zone in the north. An animal such as tiger, elephant, one-horned rhinoceros, Asiatic water buffalo, pygmy hog, and the rate golden langur exists in the lush tropical forests of the south. The snow leopard, blue sheep, and the takin are found in the cool forests and alpine meadows of the North. There are over 165 species of animals (mammals), and more than 770 species of birds have been identified.
Within Bhutan’s borders one can finds over 60 percent of endemic species of the Eastern Himalayan region. In addition, Bhutan’s rich flora includes over 50 species of Rhododendron, and over 30 species of medicinal plants, mostly in alpine, that are used in traditional herbal medicines. As a result, Bhutan has been declared as one of the ten global “hot-spots” for the conservation of biological diversity. Many ecologists believe that Bhutan represents the last best chance for the conservation in the Eastern Himalayas , a region considered of critical importance to the global efforts to conserve biological diversity.
Bhutan ‘s rich biological diversity is found in the national parks and sanctuaries in which clean steams and mighty waterfalls exist. Bhutan is in many ways the last Shangri-la of this world.
Conservation Ethic:
The preservation of the country’s rich biological diversity can be attributed to two factors, the enlightened leadership and strong conservation ethic of the Bhutanese people. Conservation is a central tenet of Buddhism. Buddhism believes in preserving nature and giving back to the earth what one has taken. Buddhism also believes in the sanctity of life. The importance of protecting nature in all its manifestations has permeated our consciousness and has become integral to the Bhutanese way of life. The pre-Buddhist “Bon” (animism) beliefs whereby forests, mountains, lakes, rivers and the sky are the domain of spirits and desecrating them will lead to disease and suffering are very strong. Therefore, preservation of the environment, sacred and cultural heritage sites are an important and integral part of the Bhutanese value system.
His Majesty the King Jigme Singye Wangchuck has stated that: “Throughout the centuries, the Bhutanese have treasured their natural environment and have looked upon it as the source of all life. This traditional reverence for nature has delivered us into the twentieth century with our environment still richly intact. We wish to continue living in harmony with nature and to pass on this rich heritage to our future generations.”
His Majesty the King has also ensured that the processes of economic development and environmental and cultural integrity are not mutually exclusive, but critical to the long term viability of Bhutanese development. As eloquently summarized by His Majesty himself, “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product.” This has been the guiding force of Bhutan ‘s sustainable development strategy.
As a result of the enlightened leadership and the strong tradition of environmental conservation and preservation, Bhutan now have over 26 percent of its land areas under protected area of management and over 72.5% of the country under forest cover. While many parts of the world have suffered from alarming deforestation rates, the forest cover in Bhutan has actually increased in the last decade.
The National Environmental Commission (NEC):
Recognizing the socio-economic development must be consistent with the needs of the people and carrying capacity of the fragile environment in order to provide a sustainable base for the future, and to monitor such a process, the Royal Government of Bhutan under the command of His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuck established the National Environmental Committee in 1989.
This National Environment Committee was later upgraded to the National Environment Commission. This National Environment Commission is a high-level, cross-sectoral body of senior Ministers and councils. The NEC is empowered to meet its long term objective of defining policies and programs, plans and actions whereby the sustainability of natural resources will be fully integrated into every aspect of Bhutan ‘s social and economic development. Its high level commission ensures that it will have the authority to call for the assistance it will need from other government bodies. The Commission also monitors the impact of development on the environment and aims to put in place the necessary controls, regulations and incentives to the private/public sectors to achieve sustainable development through the judicious use of national resources. The coordination of cross-sectoral programmes, the implementation of policies and legislation is also another important mandate of the Commission.
The National Environment Commission madates are:
- To serve as environmental adviser to the government on matters related to sustainable development;
- To formulate a National Environmental Strategy, which will serve as a planning document for the country;
- To institutionalize Environmental Impact Assessments;
- To enhance the knowledge and understanding of environmental matters and sustainability in the Bhutanese society;
- To ensure the sustainable use of natural resources in Bhutan ;
- To maintain the biological diversity of Bhutan (that is the range of genetic material governing crops, as well as the rich diversity of wild species and eco-systems); and
- To maintain essential ecological processes and life support systems (soil regeneration and protection, nutrient recycling, water regimes etc.)
To implement its mandate effectively the NEC works in close collaboration with the line Ministries, the Dzongkhag Yargay Tshogdues (District Development Committee) and the Gewog Yargay Tshoghungs (Block Development Committees).