Bhutan is known for its rich biodiversity. And to create more awareness about the country’s biodiversity and its conservation, the Agriculture Ministry recently opened a Biodiversity Interpretation Centre at Serbithang in Thimphu. The centre is the first of its kind in the country.
The centre is located at the Royal Botanical Garden under the National Biodiversity Centre in Serbithang. It has on display a variety of plants, wood samples and invertebrate specimens.
The Biodiversity Interpretation Centre also has biodiversity research equipment, ethnobotanical artefacts, and audiovisuals of documentary videos about biodiversity. And it is expected to increase awareness of the values of biodiversity in the country.
“This Biodiversity Interpretation Centre is mainly focused on raising awareness to our Bhutanese people and encouraging Bhutanese people to learn and to love nature and know more about biodiversity conversation. This Interpretation Centre will help the students, researchers, international visitors and general public to know about Bhutan’s biodiversity as well as the biodiversity in the whole world,” said Kezang Tobgay, the biodiversity officer at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.
With improved interpretation facilities and educational programmes on biodiversity, the centre is also hopeful of seeing an increasing number of visitors.
The construction of the centre and its technical support was funded by international donor agencies such as European Union Rural Development Climate Change Response Programme, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London and the UNDP.
Choni Dema
