The Royal Botanical Park at Lamperi in Punakha is seeing a decline in rhododendron blooming. The park is said to have some 40 different species of rhododendrons, which usually bloom around this time of the year. Observers during the recent Lamperi Rhododendron Festival attribute the delayed and incomplete blooming to various factors, including climate change, although this is not yet backed by a study.
During the recent Lamperi Rhododendron Festival, spectators noted visibly fewer blooms this time compared to past years.
Lamperi Rhododendron Festival was initiated in 2012 to attract tourists and local visitors. Although spring is usually the peak tourist season, the recent festival saw only a few visitors.
Locals and organisers fear that the number might decrease further in the future if the rhododendrons do not bloom.
“Hopefully, flowers will bloom in the future. But if it doesn’t bloom, it will impact us as tourists visiting the festival income source, and if there is no rhododendron flower while celebrating the festival, it might bring some impacts,” said Sonam Wangdi, the Dochola-Maenchhuna Tshogpa, Toebisa Gewog, Punakha.
The director of the Department of Tourism, Damcho Rinzin said, “Before, we used to host the festival on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th. We were told that’s the time that we had good rhododendron flowers blooming. Then later it moved to the 13th and 14th. And we did a bit of consultation on when the best time to see a lot of rhododendron is. Somehow, over the years, we have not managed to see a good number of rhododendrons; in fact, we feel that it is disappearing or something like that.”
Toebisa Gup Tshering Penjor said, “In the past, they used to bloom beautifully, and tourists enjoyed the experience. But now, it feels as though the blooming season has already ended, and we don’t see many rhododendron flowers in bloom. I believe this might be due to climate change, which is a cause of concern.”
The park is taken care by the Department of Forests and Park Services and the recreational area inside the park is looked after by the Green Bhutan Corporation.
A park official says one possible cause for the delayed or incomplete blooming could be the lack of snowfall in the area for the past two years. He explains that rhododendrons require a good amount of soil moisture for healthy growth and flowering. He added that the area also receives erratic rainfall compared to past years.
Likewise, an expert from the College of Natural Resources in Lobesa says changing vegetation might also be a reason, adding rhododendrons usually bloom well in undisturbed vegetation.
The organisers plan to host the festival once again next week as part of a feasibility study to reschedule the event when rhododendrons are in full bloom.
Changa Dorji, Punakha
Edited by Phub Gyem
