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forest,
which in turn harbors countless flora and fauna. Nowhere in the Himalayas is the natural heritage more rich
and varied than in Bhutan. In all essence Bhutan truly deserved the historical
reference as the Valleys of Medicinal Herbs, a name that still applies to this
day. 72.5 % of the land is still preserved in forest,
which in turn harbors countless flora and fauna.
For centuries, Bhutanese have treasured the natural environment and have looked upon it as a valuable resource. The traditional reverence for nature has delivered Bhutan into the 20th century with an environment still richly intact. The country wishes to continue the tradition and pass the rich heritage to the future generations. And hence, maintaining a balanced natural ecosystem remains the central theme of all development process. National policies are very mindful of the damages to the environment and no sacrifices are made for short-term economic gains. The Royal Government of Bhutan has also made a national commitment to uphold its obligation to future generations by charting what it calls the Middle Path, a development approach that upholds both environmental and cultural preservation as an integral part of the development process.
In 1998, Bhutan was distinguished as one of the ten bio-diversity
hot spots
in the world. Bhutan is known to have 5000 species of plants, which include
300 species of medicinal plants, 600 species of orchids and more than 50 species
of rhododendrons. Blue Poppy, the national flower, which was once considered
a myth, also grows in the high alpine zone. It has been identified as the center
of 221 globally endemic bird areas.
Tropical evergreen forests grow below 800 meters, subtropical grassland and forests abound between 900 - 1,800 meters, diverse temperate vegetation flourishes up to 3,000 meters and exotic alpine vegetation rises into 5,500 meters. All in all, species ranging from hardwood to giant rhododendrons, magnificent magnolias, picturesque conifers and thousands of flowering plants span the vast reserve of pristine forests.
Due to unexploited environment, Bhutan possesses one of the
greatest biological d.jpg)
iversity
of any country of its size in Asia. It certainly has some of the best remaining
representative of habitat types found in the Himalayas.
Within a small but rich area Bhutan boasts as much as 165 species
of mammals and 770 species of.jpg)
birds, and holds potentials for many more species to be discovered. There are
endangered species such as red panda, black-necked cranes, Bengal tigers, snow
leopards, and indigenous mammals such as golden langur and takin. Some other
animals are Asiatic elephant, greater one-horned rhinoceros, gaur, wild water
buffalo, hog deer, tiger, clouded leopard, hornbill, trogon, blue sheep, takin,
musk deer, wolf and many mammals and birds characteristic to Indo-Himalayan
species.
Bhutan's history of isolation and policy of sustainable development provides decision makers with a unique opportunity to conserve the country's natural and cultural heritage. As a first step in conserving its natural heritage, Bhutan has established a system of nine protected areas. The system sets aside approximately 26% of country's total land area in national parks, nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and conservation areas.
These are :