16 September 2025: Bhutanโs 5th National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP), launched today on 16 September 2025, coinciding with World Ozone Day, outlines 20 ambitious targets to conserve biodiversity, strengthen ecosystems, and link nature protection with livelihoods, cultural heritage and economic resilience.
This updated plan reaffirms Bhutanโs global leadership in environmental stewardship and its commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Building on the achievements and lessons from the 4th NBSAP, the latest strategy provides a dynamic and effective roadmap to 2030, placing harmony between people and nature at the heart of Bhutanโs development agenda.
It takes a bold, integrated, end-to-end approach to biodiversity conservation, from ecosystem restoration to protecting species and genetic diversity, from sustainable use of natural resources to reducing pollution, and from adapting to climate change and strengthening institutions.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ?
The 5th NBSAP stands out not only for its ambitions but also for its alignment with national and global priorities:
- ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐-๐ง๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ: For the first time, the NBSAP is being aligned with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), currently under developmentโ creating a coherent national pathway for biodiversity and climate action.
- ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ก-๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ฐ๐๐ฒ: The strategy promotes ecosystem integrity as the foundation for long-term economic well-being, true to Bhutanโs development philosophy of Gross National Happiness.
- ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐-๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐-๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐: The strategy is rooted in science, traditional knowledge, and community participation, all standing as equal pillars of success.
- ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ: All 20 targets outlined in the strategy align with the KunmingโMontreal Global Biodiversity Framework as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.
- ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒโ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง: The strategy and actions of the NBSAP are aligned to the countryโs 13th Five Year Plan (FYP) for coordinated implementation, efficient and effective utilizations of the resources and for monitoring and evaluation.
๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐-๐จ๐-๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
The NBSAP is not just a government plan. It is a national framework for collective action. Its success will depend on coordinated efforts by the government agencies, local governments and communities, civil society, the private sector, academia and development partners. Implementation will focus on:
- Mainstreaming biodiversity across sectors, such as agriculture, tourism, urban development, energy, and finance, with clear linkages to the 13th Five-Year Plan and Bhutanโs economic transformation roadmap.
- Showcasing Bhutanโs biodiversityโclimate nexus contributions, where protecting nature strengthens resilience, supports green jobs, and underpins sustainable growth.
The National Biodiversity Centre under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the Department of Environment and Climate Change under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources jointly led the preparation of the 5th NBSAP with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Environment Facility (GEF). The strategy was shaped through wide-ranging consultations with stakeholders from all levels.
The NBSAP, as a high-level strategic document, โprovides a clear framework to attain economic prosperity without compromising our rich biodiversity and health of our ecosystemsโ, said Lyonpo Younten Phuntsho, Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, and urges all stakeholders โ government agencies, local governments, communities, civil society organizations, the private sector, academia, and development partners – to embrace this document as a national guiding framework for biodiversity stewardship.
โThe 5th NBSAP is both a reflection of Bhutanโs past achievements and a forward-looking framework to safeguard nature while enabling prosperity,โ said Mohammad Younus, Resident Representative of UNDP. โLet us treat it as a living strategy – adaptive, inclusive and focused on measurable results. Together we can ensure that Bhutanโs ecological wealth continues to underpin economic prosperity and that living in harmony with nature remains the guiding principle of Bhutanโs development agenda.โ
โThe NBSAP 2025 recognizes that the triple planetary crises – climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution – are interconnected rather than separate, with actions in one area often exacerbating challenges in the others. This document, therefore, seeks to address these critical issues in an integrated manner,โ said Lyonpo Gem Tshering, Minister, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
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