National Environment Strategy (NES) 2020-2030.

This National Environment Strategy (NES) 2020-2030 is a new Strategy balances conservation with development, and enhances implementation and operationalization of the existing legislation in all spheres of government, down to the local level. The vision of this New Environment Strategy is: A healthy and sustainable environment for present and future generations in pursuit of Gross National Happiness. The Mission of the Strategy is: To conserve and protect environment through the National Environment Commission as an independent apex body on all matters relating to environment to regulate environmental impacts and promote sustainable environment.
The Strategy is intended to guide implementation of the relevant policy and legislation in an integrated and strategic fashion, through articulating a set of Strategic Objectives. The Strategy has the following landrelated Strategic Objectives: Plan for balanced land use; Enhance disaster preparedness and response; Combat land degradation; Promote environmentally friendly roads and infrastructure; Make agriculture sustainable and climate-resilient; Manage mineral extraction wisely; Ensure green, sustainable settlements; Manage waste responsibly. Given the small percentage of the country that has accessible, arable land with fertile soils, and the Constitutional imperative to maintain 60% forest cover, it is vital to ensure that all land suitable for agriculture is intensively and sustainably utilized for that purpose. Systematic land governance, combined with support to farmers on improved inputs, will enable sustainable intensification of agriculture on already transformed land, allowing for intensive and multiple use where appropriate, and preventing land from lying fallow (except where practised deliberately to restore productivity). The Strategy proposes to: Protect agriculture against climate change; Provide adequate irrigation; Improve farm productivity; Reduce open grazing of livestock; Promote organic farming; Maximize use of sustainable inputs. Through Bhutan’s participation in global initiatives for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), actions are being taken to develop institutional and technical capacity for applying a circular economy approach in the agriculture sector, maximizing use of crop residues and manure for biogas slurry, for fuel as well as fertilizers. Government is also taking action to engage youth in commercial farming, and investigating financial incentives to farmers to enhance production and productivity, stabilize prices and expand exports. Where appropriate, support will be given to protected agriculture, e.g. greenhouse and tunnel farming, and promoting climate-resilient crops to tolerate heat and drought conditions.
The Strategy include the following air related Strategic Objectives: Remain carbon neutral; Improve ambient air quality; Promote low-emission transport; Adopt cleaner technology; Develop the renewable energy sector; Improve energy efficiency ; Reduce household air pollution; Provide early warning for windstorms.
In terms of water, the Strategy has set up following Strategic Objectives: Institutionalize and implement integrated water resource management; Prevent freshwater pollution; Improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation ; Prevent damage from flood disasters; Ensure sustainable development of hydropower; Ensure efficient use of water resources.
In Bhutan’s rich tradition of Mahayana Buddhism, nature is seen as a living system of which people form a part. As Article 5 of the Constitution makes clear, every Bhutanese person is considered a trustee of the Kingdom’s natural resources and environment. However, the growing population and development pressures are placing some strain on the balance between people and nature. The Strategy explores these challenges, and has established the following wildlife related Strategic Objectives: Sustainably manage human-wildlife conflict; Support sustainable forest management; Conserve Bhutan’s biodiversity; Sustain the protected areas network; Promote sustainable tourism; Prevent and combat poaching, illegal harvest and trade; Prevent spread of alien invasive species; Preserve diversity of crops and livestock; Share benefits of genetic diversity.