Workshop held on Biodiversity Statistics of Bhutan 2016

A two-day workshop was organized on Biodiversity Statistics of Bhutan 2016 in Thimphu from 28^th to 29^th December 2016. This workshop on Biodiversity Statistics of Bhutan (BSB) is first of its kind to be held in Bhutan. BSB aims at creating a common platform to represent all biodiversity data obtained through collaboration with various relevant agencies in the country. It also aims to publish the first publication of BSB, which will consist of number of species of certain biodiversity groups such as plants, mammals, birds, molluscs, fungus, insect-fungus, invertebrates, fishes, invasive alien species, endemic species, globally threatened species and aquatic biodiversity. The publication will follow the taxonomic classification such as Internal Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN), International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), etc., hence all the species statistics will be classified and numbers validated. The statistics obtained will be based on the data or literature published till 2016 and henceforth, the publication will be updated annually. Workshop also focused on the discovery of new species to science as well as discovery of new records to Bhutan, which will also be incorporated in the BSB 2016. All the biodiversity and statistics relevant agencies will collaborate in data sharing and validating the latest updated numbers of species according to the taxonomic classification. Lead agencies and focal persons for each biodiversity group were identified to collect data and validate the current numbers and new discoveries. The workshop came up to collaborate and work together in publishing the first BSB 2016.

Workshop on BSB 2016 was organized by the National Biodiversity Centre, Serbithang and was attended by various agencies viz. UWICE (Thimphu, Darla & Yusipang), NCD, JDNP, WCNP, JSWNP, FRMD, Khesar Gyelpo University of Medical Sciences, National Institute of Traditional Medicine, College of Natural Resources, Sherutse College, NPPC, National Statistics Bureau (NSB), National Mushroom Centre (NMC), National Fishery Centre, Haa, Department of Livestock, Department of Agriculture, WWF Bhutan, Bhutan Trust Fund For Environmental Conservation (BTFEC) and ICS, MoAF.