AS-HOPE report

Number:AS-22-036

Field Research on Wildlife and Environmental Education in Bhutan

Report:Shinya YAMAMOTO

Date:2010/11/19 - 2010/12/01

I conducted a fieldwork on wildlife and environmental education in Bhutan, including 2-night-3-day trekking. During my stay in Bhutan for 11 days, I observed Assam monkeys, gray langurs, deers, and black-necked cranes, as well as beautiful wild orchids. Unfortunately, there were not many opportunities to see wild mammals; however, this also seems the same even for the local people. When I visited schools (from a primary school to a college), I heard that the students rarely see the wild mammals. Even so, they still respect those animals. This seems due to their spirit based on the Tibetan Buddhism. Their environmental education based on both Tibetan Buddhism and science is unique and somewhat different from the current main stream of "protection" and "control" of the nature. I heard they relinquished a zoo, because keeping wild animals goes against Tibetan Buddhism. In my impression, in Bhutan, religion and science are well mixed in their education, life, and mind. I could get very useful and suggestive information for thinking about the future of environmental education and the advance of science.

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