|
|
 |
| Fishing | Bird
Watching | Botanical |
| |
With over 70 percent of the country under forest
cover and it's rich bio-diversity, Bhutan has been
declared one of the 10 environmental "hot-spots"
in the world. Among the Himalayan Nations, Bhutan
has the richest diversity of Flora and Fauna made
possible by the ecological sensitivity of the Bhutanese
People and preserved by the policies of a concerned
government.
The immense beauty of the Himalayas is contained
in its diverse landscape. Cascading rivers, conifers,
wild rhododendron and blue poppies, long sweeping
valleys, fields of maize and tall, imposing white-capped
peaks: these are only a few poetic references.
|
 |
The
wealth of the floral variety includes "Rhododendron,
Junipers, Magnolias, Orchids, Edelweiss, Gentians, Daphne.
In addition, the rare Blue Poppy, Bhutan's national
flower, which can be found at altitudes as high as 4000
metres. Along with these, grow rare medicinal herbs
and exotic mushrooms. |
|
Spotting unusual fauna in Bhutan is almost obligatory.
There are over 500 species of Birds to be seen in
Bhutan. The rich bird life includes the Monal, Pheasant,
the Tragopan, many different types of wild pigeons
and Doves, the rare Rufus-necked Hornbill and the
endangered Black Necked Crane. There is also an abundant
butterfly fauna. This reflects the kingdom's wide
range of agro-
|
 |
ecological
environments, from subtropical to alpine, and its zoo-geographical
Indomalayan (oriental) region and the permeable and
fluid (for birds) border with China.
The Kingdom is home to a very rich
mammalian wildlife population; there are 165 species
of mammals. From the Snow Leopard, Blue Sheep, Musk
Deer, Takin and Himalayan Black beer in the North to
the Tiger, Rhinoceros, Gaur, the Great Indian Water
Buffalo and the Golden langur in the South. |
|
|
Brown
Trout and local fish are found in the Northern Rivers
and mountain lakes. Further to the South East, the rivers
are full of elusive Mahseer.
Throughout the centuries, the Bhutanese have treasured
their natural environment and have looked upon it as
the source of all life. The traditional reverence for
nature has delivered us into the 20th century with our
environment still richly intact. |
In
Bhutan the vegetation profile falls into five general
classes:
- Tropical [up to 1000m]
- Sub-tropical [900m - 1800m]
- Temperate [1800m - 3500m]
- Sub-alpine [3500m - 4500m]
- Alpine [4500m - 5500m]
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
 |
| Rheum |
|
| |
|
|
 |
| Medicinal
Plant |
|
| |
|
|
 |
| Orchid |
|
| |
|
|
 |
| Wildflowers |
|
| |
|
|
 |
| Medicinal
Plant |
|
| |
|
|
 |
| Plecto |
|
| |
|
