The
Royal Government of Bhutan has made a significant commitment to protecting
Bhutan’s natural environment by establishing an extensive network of protected
areas and biological corridors covering over 51% of the geographical area of
the country. In
addition to the protected areas and biological corridors, a nature recreation
park has also been established and more nature recreational areas are planned
in different parts of the country for conservation, recreation and educational
purposes.
Bhutan
is home to many internationally recognized threatened species including Bengal
Tiger, Red Panda, Snow Leopard and Himalayan Black Bear, yet the integrity
of the country’s natural environment is
threatened by forest
fires, unsustainable use of natural resources, climate change, habitat loss and
fragmentation, changing land
use practices, increasing urbanization, human-wildlife conflicts, poaching, and
pollution. In order to address these environmental issues, it is
essential to gain support and active involvement from a wide range of
stakeholders including politicians and other decision-makers, rural and urban
communities, householders, students as well as members of the monk body and the
armed forces.
This is consistent with the Article 5 of the Constitution
of Bhutan, which regards every Bhutanese as a trustee of the Kingdom’s natural
resources and regards it as a fundamental duty of every citizen to contribute
to the conservation and protection of natural environment and adopt
environmental friendly practices and ethos.
Environmental
education has been recognized internationally as a way to help people
understand the functioning and significance of the ecosystem in which they
live, to provide experiences that will assist people develop positive feelings
for their natural environment, and inspire them to care for the well-being of
their environment.
Bhutan’s nature recreation areas are recognized as
‘living classrooms’ and are ideal locations for establishing environmental
education programs. In fact, environmental education has been identified as an
important component of recreational area management in Bhutan and is one of the
important mandates of the Nature Recreation and Ecotourism Division under the
Department of Forests and Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.
This Division is the focal agency for facilitating and coordinating
environmental education programs in the protected and recreational areas.
In order to promote and
strengthen environmental education and nature interpretation in the country,
Nature Recreation and Ecotourism Division uses Royal Botanical Park at Lampelri as a center for excellence in the
country for environmental education and nature interpretation due to its close
proximity to the capital city Thimphu.
At present, there is a lack of strategic environmental
education programs in the recreational and protected areas of Bhutan for both
formal and non-formal audiences. The development of a strategic environmental
education master plan would ensure environmental education in Bhutan’s
protected areas, biological corridors and recreational parks. Nature Recreation
and Ecotourism Division has prepared as a discussion paper which require
discussion with all park managers, relevant departmental staff and government
organizations.
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