Coinciding with the birth anniversary of His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo yesterday, Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen launched the “Bhutan For Life” initiative.
Bhutan For Life initiative is a strategic and long term project aimed at ensuring Bhutan remains economically and environmentally sustainable. Over 51 percent of the country’s total land area, which is five million acres, are protected as parks and wildlife sanctuaries. They are home to around five thousand plant and more than two hundred animal species.
But poaching and human wild-life conflicts are some of the increasing challenges to conserving the country’s pristine nature. The “Bhutan For Life” initiative, which is a joint initiative of the Bhutanese government and the World Wildlife Fund, aims to address the challenges facing environmental conservation efforts.
At the Launch, Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen, who is the Royal Patron of the Environment, presented a special recognition to the project and its partners.
In her keynote address, Her Majesty paid tribute to Bhutan’s extraordinary achievements in conservation under the leadership of the country’s exemplary monarchs.
Her Majesty added that Bhutan’s vision was not only to fulfill international obligations but, through her success, be a source of encouragement and inspiration for others.
A total of $43 m have been collected under the initiative from various agencies and individuals.
The fund will be combined with annual contributions from the government and invested over a period of 14 years. It will not only cover the financial gap in the country’s conservation efforts but also slowly intends to help the government become self-sufficient in these efforts.
Her Majesty also launched a publication commemorating 40 years of partnership between the WWF and the Bhutanese government.
