BHUTAN FOR LIFE
LOCATION: THIMPHU
FOUNDERS: HIS MAJESTY THE DRUK GYALPO, THE GOVERNMENT OF BHUTAN, WWF
INCEPTION: 2018
ABOUT BHUTAN FOR LIFE
Blessed with a lineage of enlightened monarchs, Bhutan has consistently balanced national economic growth with cultural preservation, environmental sustainability, and social development. Bhutan's commitment to sustainability is manifest through its unique development philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH), which looks beyond gross domestic product (GDP) growth to measure progress, and in so doing values environmental sustainability as an integral component of development.
Given its uniquely strong commitment to environmental and ecological integrity, Bhutan has integrated its environmental ethos into its Constitution. It is the only country whose Constitution mandates that a minimum of sixty percent of Bhutan’s total land shall be maintained under forest cover, forever.
In 2018, under the auspices of the Royal Charter granted by His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo, the Government of Bhutan and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiated an innovative project called Bhutan for Life that will prove to be the strategic and long-term solution to ensure that Bhutan remains economically and environmentally sustainable forever.
Bhutan For Life is Asia's first Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model. The model aims to permanently protect Bhutan's robust network of protected areas which contribute to human well-being, biodiversity conservation and improve Bhutan's resilience to the effects of climate change.
A nine-member Board of Trustees (BoT) governs the BFL fund to manage, invest and use the transition fund into which international donors have contributed funding to be used over the program’s 14-year-long duration. The BoT is composed of Senior Government officials, Green Climate Fund (GCF) representatives, international private individual donors and civil society organisation (CSO). The BoT is supported by the BFL Fund Secretariat and Project Coordination Unit (PCU) who make informed decision to facilitate the implementation of BFL activities on the ground.
The BFL project has made significant progress since its implementation. Achievements range from biodiversity conservation, to developing infrastructure across parks and biological corridors, and to achieving climate change goals. With BFL’s funding support for habitat conservation and species monitoring tools, Tigers have been sighted in areas where they had been absent for over a decade, validating the project’s efforts to maintain a stable and thriving population of the iconic megafauna species. Over 1000 ha of key high value biodiversity and climate resilient habitats have been brought under improved management. Communities living within the project landscape area are being trained in environmental conservation initiatives including waste management and concerted and consistent efforts are being made to promote gender equity and women empowerment.
The uniqueness of BFL project is the equal emphasis on enhancing community livelihoods in tandem with promoting biodiversity conservation.