Essay On Environmental Conservation In Bhutan

Environmental conservation has always played a central role in Bhutan 's socio-economic development. Concern for our natural environment and heritage is embedded in the development philosophy of Gross National Happiness guided by the enlightened and visionary leadership of our beloved Monarchs. Benefits of our conservation action extend beyond national boundaries and help to ensure inter-generational equity of Bhutanese and the global community. Bhutan 's unwavering commitment to environmental conservation has been recognized Fig. I – Picturesque view of Bhutan

globally and is widely regarded as a bastion for conservation in the 21st century.

Bhutan is one of the few countries in the world that enshrines environmental conservation in its Constitution. Article 5 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of

b. Climate change

Bhutan has faced ongoing and immediate climate change since the late twentieth century. Tangible climate change has resulted in the warming and recession of many of Bhutan 's glaciers, increasing the frequency and severity of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Bhutan has also seen a shift in agriculture patterns due to climate change, prompting concern over the stability of agriculture in Bhutan.

Fig. II – Pie diagram of Environmental Coverage

National visions, strategies, plans, and legislation generally make little or no reference to climate change. Policymakers agree that climate change will increasingly be a cause of concern and that specific actions have to be incorporated in development plans to address. Technical knowledge of climate change is limited to project staff and has not been disseminated beyond the environment sector to health, education, agriculture or energy. There is also limited research on climate change carried out in Bhutan and low research capacity to do such work.