Bhutan: Buddhism, Conservation & Natural Resource Management

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing central terms and concepts for the Summer 2025 conservation exam. The set covers Buddhism’s influence, GNH, Himalayan biogeography, carnivore ecology, human-wildlife conflict, natural resource management, ecosystem services, and tourism in Bhutan.

Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava)

8th-century Buddhist master credited with bringing Buddhism to Bhutan and reshaping Bhutanese world-view.

Core Beliefs of buddhism

Interdependence, Ahimsa,

Karmic Consequences

Interdependence

Buddhist belief that all forms of life are connected; guides Bhutanese conservation ethics.

Ahimsa

Doctrine of non-violence; forbids hunting or fishing in Bhutan’s sacred zones.

Karmic Consequences

Idea that harming nature brings spiritual harm to the doer; supports environmental protection.

Bon

Pre-Buddhist religion of Bhutan in which all natural entities possess spirits.

Ney

A sacred landscape or power place revered and often given special protection.

Beyul

“Hidden land” located in remote high altitudes; spiritually protected and rarely accessed.

Terma

“Hidden treasure” (texts, relics, or places) revealed at auspicious times to guide people.

Gross National Happiness (GNH)

Bhutan’s holistic development philosophy introduced by King Jigme Singye Wangchuck (fourth king) emphasizing well-being over GDP. He also expanded environmental programs. GNH was presented to the UN in 1998

Four Pillars of GNH

Sustainable & equitable development, Environmental conservation, Cultural preservation, and Good governance.

Nine Domains of GNH

Living standards, Education, Health, Ecological diversity, Cultural diversity & resilience, Community vitality, Time use, Psychological well-being, Good governance.

Middle Path (in GNH)

Balancing environmental, social, and economic needs to achieve holistic happiness.

Constitution of Bhutan Article 5

Declares every citizen a trustee of the Kingdom’s natural resources for present & future generations.

Biogeography

Study of the distribution of living organisms across geographic space and time.

Himalaya (etymology)

From Sanskrit ‘Hima’ (snow) + ‘Alaya’ (abode): “abode of snow.”

types of mountains

volcanoes, collisions, fault blocks, movement of pangea

Collision Mountains

Mountain ranges formed by continental plate collision, e.g., the Himalayas.

Volcanic Mountains

Mountains created by volcanic activity, e.g., Hawaii.

Fault-block Mountains

Ranges like the Sierras formed by crustal blocks uplifted or dropped along faults.

Himalayas

World’s highest collision mountain range, formed by India–Eurasia plate convergence.

Biodiversity Hotspot (Eastern Himalayas)

Region with exceptional species richness and high levels of endemism under threat, partly due to diverse landscape in mountain gradient and climate variability.

Monsoon–Himalaya Interaction.

Himalayas force moisture rich winds to rise, which causes the air to cool, condense and release large amounts of precipitation on southern slopes and creating deserts at similar latitudes.

Flagship Species

High-profile animals (e.g., tiger, snow leopard, asiatic wilddog) used to rally conservation support.

Tiger (Panthera tigris)

Endangered apex predator; <4,000 left, over 93 % historical range lost.Has gotten so much funding, protections, etc, but population hasn’t bounced back - partially because they share a lot of habitat with humans & because habitat is so segmented

Tigerscape (Bhutan)

Landscape mosaic in Bhutan that supports continuous tiger habitat.

Conservation Threats in Bhutan for tigers Ecological Life-zone

poaching, habitat loss and degradation, prey depletion, human-wildlife conflict, and the impacts of climate change

Sambar Deer

Key prey species whose occurrence predicts tiger presence in Bhutan.

Gaur

Large wild cattle; another important tiger prey in Bhutan’s lowlands.

Human–Wildlife Conflict

Humans live closely to nature, Animals are protected from killing, Dispute, underlying conflict, or deep rooted conflict

Conflict Mitigation (Bhutan)

Approaches such as education, community welfare funds, and local engagement to reduce conflicts.

Community Welfare Fund

Local mechanism to compensate losses and support coexistence with wildlife.

 Birds you have seen during our drive to Phobjikha

Great Barbet, Crested Serpent Eagle

Types of Natural Resource Management

Sustainable forest

Integrative water resources

Community based natural resource

Renewable energy

Sustainable agriculture systems

Integrative land resources

Protected area system

Forest Management Unit (FMU)

Designated block of forest managed as a single planning and harvesting entity.

Protected Area (PA) System (Bhutan)

Network of 5 national parks, 4 sanctuaries, 1 strict reserve, 1 botanical park, and 9 biological corridors(corridors: 1999 established as a “gift for earth” from Bhutan).

Ecosystem Services

Benefits people obtain from ecosystem processes and interactions.

Provisioning Services

Tangible products like food, timber, fuelwood, and fiber provided by ecosystems.

Regulating Services

Functions such as climate regulation, flood control, disease regulation, and water purification.

Cultural Services

Non-material benefits including spiritual value, recreation, aesthetics, and education- impact people’s physical and mental health and property prices)

Supporting Services

Underlying processes like nutrient cycling and soil formation that enable other services.

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES)

Market-based mechanism assigning economic value to ecosystem benefits to incentivize protection.

Use vs. Non-use Values

Economic distinction between direct use (harvest) and values independent of use (existence).

Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) check this?

Coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources for sustainable outcomes.

Watershed

Land area that drains precipitation to a common outlet; basic unit for water management.

Watershed Management Cycle

Investigation → Planning → Implementation → Review process for sustaining watersheds.

Ecotourism

Environmentally responsible travel that conserves nature and benefits local people makes up ~4% of tourism in Bhutan.3 key pillars: environment, local benefit, experience

High-Value Low-Impact Tourism (Bhutan)

Policy limiting visitor numbers and charging fees to maintain culture and environment.

Community-Based Ecotourism

Model combining conservation, local socio-economic gains, and authentic visitor experiences.

Forests & Bhutanese Economy

Forests underpin about 60 % of Bhutan’s GDP through goods, services, and tourism.Ecotourism could be an “untapped market”

Sustainable logging could aid forest health while driving economy

Challenges with tourism

• Tourism benefits are unevenly distributed 

• Post-COVID visitor rates are less than half of what pre-COVID rates were

  • Number of visitors plummeted from a peak of ~320,000 in 2019 to 0 in 2021, in 2024 there were ~140,000

  • Caused a lot of economic stress on Bhutanese in the tourism industry

Benefits of tourism

• Third highest revenue contributor and highest hard currency earner

• Sustainable Development Fee gives money to government for conservation of forests

Challenges of NRM in Bhutan

Limited financial resources

Increased population and land use

Low technical capacity

Low public awareness and behavior

Encroachment and illegal practices

Low cross-sectional collaboration

Low infrastructure development

Inadequate data and research

Cultural and socioeconomic limitations

List of wild animals you have seen at takin reserve beside takin

Barking deer, sambar deer, blue sheep, himalayan serow, himalayan goral, Satyr Tragopan, Himalayan Monal