BIODIVERSITY AT ITS BEST
Bhutan has some of the richest biodiversity in the Himalayan region. With a 72 percent forest cover, it is the home to some of the world’s most endangered species.
This whole country is one beautiful park,” says an American botanist who is a frequent visitor to Bhutan. “In fact it is one of the last places on earth where we can see nature in its most undisturbed form.”
The kingdom of Bhutan is a haven for biodiversity. This global hotspot boasts a geographical landscape that changes dramatically from the tropical south through the temperate forests and the alpine region to the great northern glaciers. Within this lush ecosystem, man and nature co-exist in harmony.
Bhutan’s ecology has been preserved and enriched through far-sighted policies drawn from the tenets of Buddhism that teach man to respect all other living beings as all forms of life exist in an intricate web of interdependence.
“We humans cannot exist independently of other life forms that include trees and plants, animals and birds,” say the representative of the Bhutanese clergy in the National Assembly. “We are all interdependent. In fact, the privileged human form should feel a sense of responsibility for the well being of all other forms.” Bhutan has legislated this enlightened view. The National Assembly has passed the far-sighted law that a minimum of 60 percent of the country will always be maintained as forest. More than 26 percent of the country has been brought under the protected area network across the country.
This includes four national parks in which the pristine environment is enriched with 7,000 vascular plants, 360 orchid species, 46 species of rhododendron, and other rare and endemic species, including over 500 species of medicinal plants.
Nine percent of the country has been declared as biological corridors in which wildlife sanctuaries and a chain of nature reserves connect the protected areas to ensure that the wild animals and birds can move freely within a vast natural range. A tiger can move from the Manas National Park in north through Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park.
Bhutan is home to 770 bird species including 16 globally-threatened species like the Rufous-necked hornbill, Black-necked crane, and Blyth’s Tragopan. Rimchu in Punakha and Limeythang in Mongar districts are believed to have the highest per unit bird population on earth. There are nearly 200 mammals, including endangered species such as the tiger, snow leopard, clouded leopard, elephant, musk deer, Himalayan black bear, takin, red panda, serow, Asian elephant, pigmy hog, and the golden langur.
Conserving the web of life, however, has costs. As nature rules through its intricate cycles, farmers sometimes lose their crops to wild animals such as wild boar, bear, and deer. These species cannot be eliminated because they form an important prey-base for large carnivores such as tiger, leopard, and snow leopard. Every year, farmers also lose more than 1,000 cattle to tigers, leopards, snow leopards, bear and wild dogs. More than 500 farmers who lost livestock to tigers, leopards and the bear have been compensated. These species of wild animals are protected by national law and cannot be killed or hunted. This compensation programme, established in 2002 by His Majesty the King of Bhutan, aims to ensure that both the farmer and the environment do not lose.
“We have a lot of interaction with people who live in the park areas. Our challenge is how to find a path of harmony between man and animals,” says Sonam Wangchuk, manager of the Thrumshingla National Park.
One successful approach has been the “Integrated Conservation and Development Programme” through which conservation programmes are integrated into the socio-economic plans of the farmers.
This programme has introduced improved cooking stoves, supplied alternative roofing materials, improved pasture and reduced the use of park resources for firewood, roofing, and grazing. It is enhancing the quality of life of the residents in protected areas by teaching them sustainable methods of harvesting medicinal plants, establishing micro-enterprises, and improving of health and hygiene as well as the literacy rate and communication facilities.
Many international conservation organizations applauded the efforts - and sacrifices - of Bhutan to maintain its natural environment. This pristine country is a major part of the Eastern Himalayan Biological Hot-spot declared by the World-Wide Fund for Nature and a US-based conservation organization, Conservation International.
Today, Bhutan shares this rich biodiversity with the world. The national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are beautiful destinations for picnickers, research scholars, trekkers, and other visitors who appreciate nature.
As Bhutan inevitably welcomes more tourists and visitors, the Bhutanese ask them to enjoy nature with the sensitivity and respect that it deserves. The long-standing tourism policy is that visitors should “take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.”
By Sangay Wangchuk, Director of the Nature Conservation Department in the Agriculture Ministry, Royal Government of Bhutan.
SAVING THE TIGER
Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), the Buddhist saint who was believed to have flown to Bhutan on the back of a tigress to spread the teachings of Buddhism, would be happy to hear that his favorite steed is assured of a happy home in the kingdom.
The government has formulated a Tiger Action Plan that aims to ensure a protected habitat for a viable population of at least fifty breeding tigers living in the wilds. This means there will also be adequate prey such as deer and wild boar in the natural cycle ruled by the laws of the jungle. Tigers are at the top of the natural food chain and their existence indicates a healthy natural environment. A count conducted in 1998 estimated a total of 150 tigers (70 of them breeding tigers) living in Bhutan’s rich forests. “We have decided to save the tiger by all means,” says the director of the Nature Conservation Department, Dr. Sangay Wangchuk. “That is not negotiable.”
The chairman of the Save the Tiger Fund, John Seidensticker, says that about 50 percent of Bhutan’s land area is potential tiger habitat. Bhutan’s protected areas and the corridors linking them provide a tiger habitat which covers an area of 10,714 square kilometers. Being one of the most committed protectors of the tiger in Asia, Mr Seidensticker firmly believes that Bhutan could become one of the world’s largest tiger landscapes.
Contrary to the belief that the Royal Bengal Tigers (panther tigris tigris) found in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan live only in tropical and sub-tropical regions, from the sea level to about 2,600 metres, the Bhutanese have sighted tigers in places above 4,000 metres.
Global conservationists believe that Bhutan’s conservation programme is a model for the world to emulate.
THE BLUE POPPY
Like the yeti, the blue poppy was once considered a myth, its existence talked about but rarely seen. This species grows in harsh and difficult terrain above the tree line from 3,500 -4,500 metres.
British Botanist George Sheriff was the first to record a sighting of the rare Himalayan flower, the Meconopsis, in the mountains of Sakten, eastern Bhutan, in 1933.
The blue poppy blooms only once and then the sighting of the species a rare and special occasion. Described as the ‘royalty’ among flowers because of her blue blood, the blue poppy is an attraction for visitors and Bhutanese alike.
Five of the 12 species of the blue poppy growing in the Himalayan region grow in Bhutan. One of them, the mecanopsis grandis is Bhutan’s national flower and the Bhutanese call them euitegel metog hoem.
THE TAKIN
There are many mythological accounts of the origins of the takin, Bhutan’s national animal, a rare and unusual animal which is described as an assembly of assorted animals. A popular story of its origin is that it was the creation of one of Bhutan’s saints, Lam Drukpa Kinley - the divine madman - who put the head of a goat onto the body of a cow, and brought the animal back to life.
Although considered a vulnerable animal worldwide, the takin survives well in Bhutan, according to Tshering Phuntsho, manager of Bhutan’s Jigme Dorji National Park. More than 1,000 takin have been counted in the park, and many more live in other areas.
Takin are sure-footed animals and move very fast on high ridges despite their large size. The best places to spot a takin are in Tsarijathang between Laya and Lingshi and in Tarina valley in Lunana in the summer months.
For those who do not fancy chasing the takin to high altitudes, there is a small community of takin in what has now come to be described as the ‘zoo’ on Sangaygang in Thimphu.
By Siok Sian Pek-Dorji