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nAtUre
A CULTURAL &

BIRDING TRIP TO

bhutan PART 1

BY RON SEARLE
With its astonishingly PHOTOGRAPHY BY MERL & MARTY
significant forest cover, ARNOT, DAVID SHACKELFORD
AND RON SEARLE
the Royal Government’s
commitment to both
the environment
and sustainable
development, plus

the largely Buddhist
population’s deeply
ingrained respect for
nature, Bhutan is in
many ways an ideal
model for conservation.

nown as ‘Land of the Thunder
Dragon’, Bhutan, a land-locked
monarchy located in the Eastern
KHimalayas - bordered to the
north by Tibet, the Indian states of West
Bengal and Assam to the south, Arunachal
Pradesh to the east and Sikkim to the west Above: Thimpu
- is a destination like no other, boasting Dzong (DS)
breath-taking mountain scenery and vast Below: Chorten
forests covering 71% of the total land area of (Shrine) and Prayer
46 620km². Apart from a few narrow strips Flags, Dochu La Pass
of the Indian plains which penetrate the (DS)
southern borders of Bhutan, the country is Opposite: Monks at
completely mountainous with steep slopes Trashigang Dzong
and altitudes ranging from 180m to 7 550m Monastery (DS)
above sea level. The main Himalayan chain
on the southern edge of the Tibetan Plateau
is the northern border of the country, an area
above the tree-line, largely inaccessible and
accordingly unexplored and pristine.
The wide range in altitude and topography
produces an equally great range of
climatic conditions responsible for the very
considerable forest coverage. Three climatic
zones have been identified, viz: sub-tropical
180 - 1 800m characterised by steep slopes
and broad-leaved forest (both warm and
cool); mid-montane 1 800 - 3 500m with
coniferous forests (Chir and Blue Pine, Spruce,
Hemlock and Fir); and alpine > 3 500m with
tundra vegetation, alpine meadows, snow-
covered peaks and glaciers.

17
DPL