Teams led by Dr. Jean Balie, Director General of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have visited National Biodiversity Centre (NBC) on 24th November, 2022. Team leaders with the member countries delegation from nine countries visited particularly the National Gene bank, Royal Botanical Garden, (RBG) orchidarium and interpretation centre. Bhutan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, India, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam signed an agreement to foster cross-country seed sharing to empower the regions seed sectors in Thimphu on 22th November, 2022.
November 17-18, 2022: The two-day Training Workshop on “Biodiversity, Biopiracy and its relevance in Tourism” was successfully completed to the stakeholders that are relevant to tourism and biodiversity at the Jigme Namgyel College of Engineering, Dewathang, Samdrupjongkhar. Twenty two participants representing the Royal Bhutan Police (Samdrupjongkhar, Chazam-Trashigang, Samdrupcholing, Samrang, Jomotshangkha, and Nganglam), Department of revenue and customs (Samdrupcholing , Nganglam and Jomotshangkha), Department of Immigration (Samdrupcholing , Nganglam and Jomotshangkha), Department of Forest and Park Services (Samdrupjongkhar Forest Division and Jomotshangkha wildlife Sanctuary), Jigme Namgyel Collage of Engineering (JNEC), Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulation Authority (Samdrupjongkhar and Nganglam) and Department of Tourism Regional Office Samdrupjongkhar took part in the training workshop.
The training workshop was conducted to enhance understanding and awareness on the importance of biodiversity conservation in Bhutan, issues of biopiracy and the policy and legal framework related to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the country. In addition to the above, the workshop also aims to garner support from the relevant stakeholders for biodiversity conservation, and mitigation of biopiracy and misappropriation in the country. During the workshop, participants were familiarized on the dynamics of biodiversity, importance of biodiversity, status of Bhutan’s biodiversity, issues of misappropriation and biopiracy, Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild Fauna and Flora, Nagoya Protocol, policy and legal framework on Access and Benefit Sharing, Plant taxonomy, Invasive and Alien species, citizen-based biodiversity information platforms, and the role of citizens in documentation and curation of biodiversity. Further, participants were given hands-on training on BioBlitz, Bhutan Biodiversity Portal usage and herbarium techniques. The participants were taken for a field visit to learn about the agrobiodiversity conservation and community seed bank program of the Samdrupjongkhar initiatives and the Model Biogas Plant at JNEC. The program ended with a recorded presentation on Bhutan Believe and Brand Bhutan by the Director General, Depart of Tourism and the award of certificates to the participants.
This training is organized by the National Biodiversity Centre through the support of the Ecotourism Project “Mainstreaming Biodiversity Conservation into the Tourism Sector in the Bhutan” funded by GEF-UNDP Bhutan through the Department of Tourism, Royal Government of Bhutan. In the following weeks, similar workshops will be conducted in Gelephu, Phuntsholing and Paro.
Subsequent to the executive order issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests via letter no. MoAF/SEC/01/2022/673 dated 29 September 2022, and following approval from the Royal Civil Service Commission via letter no. RCSC/CSR/2022/1077 dated 28 September 2022 directing the implementation of civil service restructuring reforms, the Department of Livestock handed over the National Nublang Breeding Farm, Tashiyangphu and Native Poultry & Heifer Breeding Centre, Sertsam to National Biodiversity Centre, MoAF on November 14, 2022 in a simple ceremony. The event was observed by the representatives from the Ministry and the unit heads under the Department of Livestock and NBC. The farms were transferred to NBC as part of the overall goal of civil service reforms to strengthen efficiency, effectiveness and service delivery towards nation building. This will ensure streamlining of mandates, focused intervention, optimal utilization of resources and increased synergy between the organizations.
A second series of the two-day Training Workshops on “Biodiversity, Biopiracy and its relevance in Tourism” for the tour guides conducted from 9 – 10 November from 2nd batch of tour guides at NBC, Serbithang. Around 22 tour guides completed training workshop. The closing ceremony was graced by the Program Director Dr. Karma Dema Dorji of NBC. In addition, the Director General of the Department of Tourism presented on the Brand Bhutan and Bhutan Believe virtually to the guides.
The training is organized by NBC in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Bhutan (erstwhile Tourism Council of Bhutan) supported by the GEF-UNDP Bhutan as part of Ecotourism project of mainstreaming biodiversity conservation into tourism sector in Bhutan. The main objective of the training workshop is to create awareness on importance of biodiversity conservation and biopiracy and its relevance to tourism to guides as they are the ambassadors of the country for the tourism sector. Further the workshop aimed to garner their support and cooperation in biodiversity conservation and mitigation of biopiracy and misappropriation.
The other series of the workshops will be conducted at Samdrup Jongkhar, Gelephu, Phuentsholing and the Paro International Airport to the relevant stakeholders especially front-Liners involved in tourism sector.
