Humans are the leading
power on earth and our actions have significant impact on earth’s ecosystems. The
whole lot is altered; there remain no places on earth unharmed in the era of Anthropocene.
Admitting the anthropogenic activities and its influence on ecosystems, still
and all, a few parts remain fairly intact. More than ever, it is now urgent to
identify and investigate such areas of priority for conservation, protection
and restoration. Efforts are to be put in for scientific, practical and public
relation reasons to have well-built base and entail the society in
conservation.
In Bhutan, major part
of the country remains with sufficiently intact ecosystems or it is relatively
less disturbed attributed to extreme diverse terrain and low population
density. Some ecosystems in the country remain intact because of religious sentiments
while some are left undisturbed due to the laws and policies. Yet, it is highly
significant to work for conservation and protection of ecosystems.
Conservation in Bhutan
takes the center of development strategy and a top national priority. Environmental
conservation is one of the four pillars of Bhutan’s development philosophy
Gross National Happiness (GNH). All policies and growth programmes are strictly
aligned to the concept of conservation causing minimal damage to the environment.
More than half of the land area is brought under protected area and biological
corridor (PABC) system. The Forest and Nature Conservation Act of Bhutan 1995
lists a total of 30 species of wild animals and plants as totally protected
species. In general, the law of the country restricts any form of environmental
destruction through means of penalties and stringent legal provisions. The
Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan mandates 60% of the total land area to be
under forest cover for all times and further states, “Every Bhutanese is a
trustee of the Kingdom’s natural resources and environment”.
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