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Bionomics in the Dragon Kingdom pp 65–92Cite as

Bhutanese Bioculturalism and Sustainability

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Part of the book series: Fascinating Life Sciences ((FLS))

Abstract

Bioculturalism is the acknowledgment that biological diversity is linked with cultural diversity in knowledge, languages, and practice and that sustaining both is necessary for ecological and cultural well-being. Bioculturalism reflects the importance of integrating different cultural values into environmental conservation and sustainable livelihood. However, with an all too well-known global syndrome of endless human consumption of natural resources, all predicated on the erroneous notion that production is the hallmark of today’s corporate capitalist success profile, a veritable “Pandora’s box” has exploded upon human culture. The result is the rapid and gravid disintegration of cultural diversity and environmental well-being.

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Notes

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    Multi-cultural Property Act of Bhutan, 2005. MOHCA 2005, Multi-Cultural Property Act, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs.

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    MOHCA (2005).

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    Phuntsok KT (2014) Artful contemplation, collection from the National Museum of Bhutan: arts and crafts of Bhutan. pp 8–13. See also Phuntsho K (2013) The history of Bhutan. University of Chicago Press. See also Schicklgruber C (1977) Bhutan Mountain fortress of Gods, 1977.

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    Wisdom Library: The Buddhist Teaching on Physical Phenomena. Chapter 1: the four great elements, 2010 http://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism/book/the-buddhist-teaching-on-physical-phenomena/d/doc2655.html

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    ibid.

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    op. cit., Phuntsok (2014).

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    ibid., Pradhan.

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    ibid., Worden (1991); See Table 4 on the chronology of events of the introduction of Buddhism in Bhutan.

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    NBSAP (2014).

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    NBC (2009).

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    Karma Ura, “Deities and Environment,” (Center for Bhutan Studies: Thimpu, 2001), which appeared in the Kuensel, Bhutan’s National Newspaper beginning Jan. 17, 2002, and subsequent weeks, and is online at http://www.mtnforum.org/resources/library/karmu01a.htm. See also Allison E (2004) Spiritually motivated natural resource protection in eastern Bhutan. The Spider and the Piglet: Proceedings of the First International Seminar on Bhutan Studies.

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    ibid., Allison (2004), Ura K et al. (2012) An extensive analysis of GNH index. The Centre for Bhutan Studies, 2010.

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    op. cit., Padma (2004); See also Hawthorn UB (2015) Soba rigpa is Bhutan’s way of healing through the mind. http://www.naturalnews.com/049862_soba_rigpa_natural_healing_consciousness.html. In addition, see Wangchuk P, Wangchuk D, Aagaard-Hansen J (2007) Traditional Bhutanese medicine (gSo-BA Rig-PA): an integrated part of the formal health care services. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 38(1):161–167.

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    ibid., Padma (2004).

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    op. cit., Wangchuk et al. (2007).

  27. 27.

    Subhuti Dharmananda, Traditional Medicine of Bhutan, http://www.itmonline.org/arts/bhutan.htm. See also Karchung G (2015) Intangible cultural heritage of Bhutan. Chapter three: traditional customs, rituals, ceremonies and festive event. Research & Media Division, National Library & Archives of Bhutan, p 89. Lhamo N, Nebel S (2011) Perceptions and attitudes of Bhutanese people on Sowa Rigpa, traditional Bhutanese medicine: a preliminary study from Thimphu. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 7:3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-7-3.

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    op. cit., Ura K et al. (2012). See also Jarvis A, Upadhaya H, Gowda CLL, Aggarwal PK, Fujisaka S, Anderson B (2010) Climate change and its effect on conservation and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and associated biodiversity for food security. Thematic background study. In: The second report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. MoA (2010) Bhutan National Action Programme to combat land degradation. Ministry of Agriculture, Thimphu. RGoB (2010) Economic development policy of the Kingdom of Bhutan 2010. Royal Government of Bhutan, Thimphu. RGoB (2016) Economic development policy, Royal Government of Bhutan, 2016. RGoB (2011) Time for a sustainable economic paradigm. Input for the draft outcome document for Rio+20. Royal Government of Bhutan, Thimphu. RGoB (2012) High-level meeting on wellbeing and happiness: defining a new economic paradigm, 2nd April, 2012. Information brochure developed for the meeting, Royal Government of Bhutan, Thimphu.

  29. 29.

    UNCSD (2012).

  30. 30.

    GNHC (2011); op. cit., Ura K et al. (2012).

  31. 31.

    RGOB (2000). See also Faith DP, Magallon S, Hendry AP, Conti E, Yahara T et al (2010) Ecosystem services: an evolutionary perspective on the links between biodiversity and human well-being. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 2:1–9. See also Gepts P (2006) Plant genetic resources conservation and utilization: the accomplishments and future of a societal insurance policy. Crop Science 46:2278–2292. See also Jarvis A, Ramirez-Villegas J, Herrera Campo BV, Navarro-Racines C (2012) Is cassava the answer to African climate change adaptation? Tropical Plant Biol 5:9–29. Jarvis DI, Brown AHD, Cuong PH, Collado-Panduro L, Latournerie-Moreno L, Jarvis DI, Hodgkin T, Sthapit BR, Fadda C, Lopez-Noriega I (2011) Identifying multiple ways of supporting the conservation and use of traditional crop varieties within the agricultural production system. Crit Rev Plant Sci 30:125–176. Harlan JR (1992) Crops and man, 2nd edn. American Society of Agronomy, Madison; Gepts P (2006) Plant genetic resources conservation and utilization: the accomplishments and future of a societal insurance policy. Crop Sci 46:2278–2292. Harlan JR (1992) Crops and man, 2nd edn. American Society of Agronomy, Madison. Hawkes JR (1983) The diversity of crop plants. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.

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    RGoB (1998).

  33. 33.

    NEC (2012). See also NEC (1998) The middle path. Bhutan’s National Environment Strategy, National Environment Commission, Thimphu.

  34. 34.

    PGR Bhutan (2008). See also UN (1992) Agenda 21: programme of action for sustainable development. United Nations, New York. UN (1992) Rio declaration on environment and development. United Nations, New York. UN (2011) Resolution 65/309 happiness: towards a holistic approach to development. United Nations. See also, Vigouroux Y, Glaubitz JC, Matsuoka Y, Goodman MM, Sanchez G et al (2008) Population structure and genetic diversity of New World maize races assessed by DNA microsatellites. Am J Bot 95:1240–1253.

  35. 35.

    BAP (2006); BAP (2009). It should be noted that early settlers in the Himalayas used various sacred sites in the landscape as essentially in situ germplasm preservation/collection centers to conserve natural resources, sustain the daily requirement of villagers, and provide the “elite” stock material for fertilization. See Sharma S, Rikhari HC, Palni LMS (1999) Conservation of natural resources through religion: a case study from Central Himalaya. Soc Nat Resour 12:599–622. In addition, see http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/irishfamine.htm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)

  36. 36.

    MoA (2009) Biodiversity action plan for Bhutan 2009 (BAP III). Ministry of Agriculture, Thimphu; NBSAP (2014). See also Vigouroux Y, Cedric M, De Mita S, Pham JL, Gerard B et al (2011) Selection for earlier flowering crop associated with climatic variations in the Sahel. PLoS One 6:1–9.

  37. 37.

    MOA (2009). See also Vermeulen S, Aggarwal P, Ainslie A, Angelone C, Campbell B et al (2012) Options for support to agriculture and food security under climate. Environ Sci Policy 15:136–144.

  38. 38.

    NBSAP (2014). See also Allard RW (1988) Genetic changes associated with the evolution of adaptedness in cultivated plants and their wild progenitors. J Heredity 79:225–238; In addition, see Camacho-Villa T, Maxted N, Scholten M, Ford-Lloyd B (2005) Defining and identifying crop landraces. Plant Genet Resour Charact Util 3:373–384. See also, Fischer G, Mahendra S, Tubiello FN, van Velhuizen J (2005) Socio-economic and climate change impacts on agriculture: an integrated assessment, 1990–2080.

  39. 39.

    Personal communication with Rinchen Dorji and Ugyen Phuntsho, Sr. Biodiversity Supervisors, NBC.

  40. 40.

    NBSAP (2014).

  41. 41.

    Royal Charter for Trust Fund for Environment Conservation in Bhutan, 1996.

  42. 42.

    Personal communication with Ugyen Phuntsho, Sr. Biodiversity Officer, NBC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Environment Commission, Royal Government of Bhutan, Thimphu, Bhutan

    Ugyen Tshewang

  2. Dancing Star Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Jane Gray Morrison & Michael Charles Tobias

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  2. Jane Gray Morrison
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Tshewang, U., Morrison, J.G., Tobias, M.C. (2018). Bhutanese Bioculturalism and Sustainability. In: Bionomics in the Dragon Kingdom. Fascinating Life Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94655-9_3

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