Green is good, and Bhutan is planning to stay that way—forever. The carbon-neutral kingdom’s constitution already mandates 60-percent   forest cover on its Himalayan foothills.  Now, the Bhutan for Life initiative ensures sound management is within financial reach for every protected acre of  Bhutanese forest,  and its  rivers—a  conservation  network  that  accounts  for  51  percent  of  the country’s  mountainous  expanse.

© Emmanuel Rondeau / WWF-UK

Bhutan is acutely conscious  that  well-managed natural  resources  are  key  to  its  livelihood.  The Royal Government of Bhutan is collaborating  with  WWF  and  other  global partners to  create  constant  reliable funding  for  its protected areas and biological corridors connecting them.  Bhutan for Life follows an innovative sustainable financing mechanism (tested with  groundbreaking  success  in  the Brazilian  Amazon)  that ensures the legal, institutional and financial sustainability to maintain  the parks and corridors in perpetuity.

A $43 million sinking donor fund together with increased investments from the Royal Government of Bhutan safeguards Bhutan’s watershed, the source of its free-flowing rivers along  with  clean water  for  one-fifth  of  the  world’s  population.  Plus, a steady stream of support for Bhutan’s intact  forests  adds  climate  change  resilience  for  rural  communities  and protects  against  illegal  logging  and  poaching  across  open  borders—making  sure iconic  wildlife  like  Bengal  tigers  and  Asian  elephants  can  roam  safely  across  their native  terrain.

 

Learn more at Worldwildlife.org/HighFinance