Bhutan’s Environment

Environment

Bhutan has been described as a natural paradise. Even as the world mourns the loss of its ecology, this small Himalayan kingdom is emerging as an example to the international community, with more than 72 percent of its land still under forest and a great variety of rare plant and wildlife species. Wedged between China and India, Bhutan’s terrain ranges from the sub-tropical foothill in the south, through the temperate zones, to dizzying highest of over 7,300 meters (24,000 feet). In historical records Bhutan was know as Lhojong Menjong ‘the southern valley of medicinal Herbs’ besides these rare herbs, the Bhutanese seasons are reflected in full colour by wind flowers and plant which carpet the mountainsides. Among them, Rhododendron of numerous shades and the Blue Poppy, the national flower, are visual delight across the country. The dense forest, also ranging from the sub-tropical to the temperate, are home to numerous rate and endangered species of wildlife like the blue sheep, the elusive Snow Leopard, the Himalayan Black Bear, the Golden Langur, the Takin. Several northern valleys are home to the Black Necked Crane in winter. With the beauty of the majestic snow-capped peaks and fertile valleys, the clean crisp air, unpolluted habitats, and large tracts of virgin forest, Bhutan is, indeed, a unique world.