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Bhutan for Life was founded on the Royal Command of His Majesty the King

Bhutan- Conservation is a reality

A conservation fairy tale that actually exists

Over the last 45 years, a small, little-known country in the distant Himalayas quietly and unassumingly became a conservation treasure. This is the incredible story of Bhutan’s commitment to conservation that few people are aware of. Blessed with a lineage of enlightened monarchs, Bhutan has consistently balanced national economic growth with cultural preservation, environmental sustainability, and social development.

“One of the world’s smallest country now has one of the world’s biggest conservation commitments"

Analysis of Bhutan's commitment to sustainability focus on Gross National Happiness (GNH) and forest cover

Bhutan's Constitution and Sustainability

Bhutan’s commitment to sustainability is manifest through its unique development philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH), which looks beyond gross domestic product (GDP) growth to measure progress, and in so doing values environmental sustainability as an integral component of development. Given its uniquely strong commitment to environmental and ecological integrity, Bhutan has integrated its environmental ethos into its Constitution. It is the only country whose Constitution mandates that a minimum of sixty percent of Bhutan’s total land shall be maintained under forest cover forever.

But Bhutan is also experiencing increased poaching and the country’s current enforcement capacity is unable to effectively tackle it. And because of Bhutan’s geographical location, Illegal wildlife trade will become a serious concern for wildlife conservation in the coming years.

A Wealth of Native Wildlife

This abundance of pristine protected areas is haven for wildlife. Some 5,000 plant species are found in Bhutan’s natural areas, as well as more than 200 species of mammals-all with the space they need to roam free.

Bhutan, with most of its are under forests, offers one of the best hopes for maintaining a viable tiger population into the future. The tigers have been recorded to be residing in the low tropical forests in the south and at high altitudes of Bhutan

A WEALTH OF BENEFITS TO PEOPLE-LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY

Bhutan’s rivers which flow into neighboring countries like China, India and beyond are part of a region that provides water for at least one-fifth of the world’s population. Bhutan is net sink for greenhouse gases. Its forest sequester more than 6.3 million tons of carbon dioxide, which is four times more than what Bhutan emits, helping to reduce global warming.

Bhutan is not carbon neutral, it is carbon negative, Our entire country generates 2.2 million tons of carbon dioxide, but our forests sequester more than three times that amount so we are net carbon sink for more than 4 million tons of carbon dioxide each year.

PROMISE TO REMAIN CARBON NEUTRAL FOREVER

Bhutan first made the promise to remain carbon neutral for all times in 2009 during COP 15 in Copenhagen. Then, in December 2015 in Paris, Bhutan reaffirmed to remain carbon neutral and pursue low emission development to achieve the ambitious global targets of climate change post 2020.

Some of the ways Bhutan is already keeping this promise: Bhutan provides free electricity to rural farmers to curb the use of firewood. Bhutan is investing in sustainable transport and subsidizing the purchase of electric vehicles. Similarly, Bhutan subsidizes the cost of LED lights.

POACHING AND HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICTS ARE ON THE RISE

Bhutan is experiencing increased poaching and the country’s current enforcement capacity is unable to effectively tackle it.

Human-wildlife conflict is also rising and Bhutan does not have adequate interventions to help rural residents mitigate such threats in a responsible and conservation-friendly way.

INCREASED CLIMATE CHANGE THREATS MAKE PROTECTING BHUTAN'S FORESTS EVEN MORE CRUCIAL

Bhutan is highly vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change due to its fragile mountainous ecosystem. it is projected that both the frequency and intensity of extreme climate events would increase with changing climate.

OUTSIDE AID IS DECREASING...WHILE PRESSURE TO DEVELOP IS INCREASING

Just as all these new threats and critical funding needs have arrived at Bhutan’s doorstep, its foreign aid is declining.

As the country’s funding sources decline, there is an ever-rising pressure to mine and build on land in or near Bhutan’s protected areas. Without any other financial solution, these options may become more attractive than conservation.

BHUTAN NEEDS BALANCE

At this critical juncture, Bhutan is in need for a balanced and sustainable development paradigm to:

  • Balance the need for economic development with the need to protect natural resources.
  • Balance opportunities in the cities with incentives in the rural villages.
  • Balance tradition with the desires for modern amenities.

Therefore, Bhutan for Life is going to address these challenges through:

There are 80 plus activities that contribute towards achieving the 16 milestone and covers the 5 major themes namely:

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To ensure that Bhutan remains economically and environmentally sustainable during these changing times, WWF and the Government of Bhutan committed to create an innovative funding approach called “Bhutan For Life” . Funding generated through this initiative will be used to maintain and manage the country’s protected area system for all time.

Bhutan For Life is “ Project finance For Permanence (PFP)” mechanism to provide sustained flow of fund to effectively manage Bhutan’s protected areas and biological corridors. BFL will aim to mobilize, in a single agreement, all governmental, financial and other commitments, needed to develop Bhutan’s protected area system and maintain it forever.

Bhutan For Life - AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION

ESTIMATES OF FUNDING TO FILL FINANCIAL GAP FOR 14 YEARS (USD, MILLIONS)

What is PFP?

A PFP initiative begins with the development of ambitious and charismatic conservation goals, followed by the development of a comprehensive plan to achieve the goals. For PFPs related to protected areas the plan may include creating new protected areas to fill gaps in the system, buying vehicles for forest patrol, blazing hiking trails and teaching communities how to create  eco-enterprises  in or near protected areas.

 A rigorous financial plan for funding the conservation plan is created, so as to ensure its lasting success.

Donors commit funds to bring the plan to life. But their funds are held back until the total fundraising goal is reached and all key legal and financial conditions that have been agreed upon in advance are met. This provide donors with an up-front guarantee that their support will be put to best use.

Everyone involved comes together to sign one agreement. At this closing their donations are put into a fund, the governance of which is defined by them.

Money within the fund is distributed over a set period of time and in accordance with the agreed financial plan.

The government is the country where the conservation areas are located and increases its spending until it fully assumes the costs of conservation. Although funding is key, the negotiation and closing pf a PFP deal presents an extraordinary opportunity to create new policies for long-term conservation and the institution needed to permanently protect natural resources.

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