Royal Manas, Bhutan
Planning Stage
Royal Manas National Park
Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan
Height: TBD | Length: TBD | Built: TBD | Engineering firm: TBD
Threat/Opportunity:
The RMNP was established in 1966 by the Wangchuk Royal Family to preserve the sacred Himalayan Mountains and avoid the desecration climbers had wreaked on Mt. Everest in neighboring Nepal. The protected area is blessed with a tropical as well as subtropical ecosystem that favors the growth of a plethora of flora and fauna, and is flanked by the Assam Park to the South in India, and the Jigme Singye Wangchuk National Park to the North.
The 5-year Park Preservation Plan seeks to protect and study the rare and endangered list of fauna in the Park, ranging from the Golden Langur to the Rufuos-Necked Hornbill, along with over 900 plant species. The Nature
Conservation Division of Bhutan and the World Wildlife Fund have collaborated to sustain the biological balance of the Park while developing its infrastructure, conducting various surveys on local socio-economic levels and training local Park officials.
Goals:
- Conserve a critical global hotspot for tigers, elephants and other charismatic megafauna.
- Partner with a government and predominant culture/religion (Buddhism) that both revere nature and embrace sustainable ecotourism, setting an example for future walkways in underdeveloped countries.
- Create opportunities for scientists to do research in an unexplored canopy with enormous biodiversity.
Bhutan: a Biodiversity "Hot Spot"
The Park has an area of 408 square miles and is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur, and pygmy hog. Manas is also famous for its population of wild
water buffalo. The 5,000 known species of plants include 46 rhododendrons and 600 orchids. Bhutan also has many hot-water springs, which have medicinal properties to cure diseases. In Bhutan, 70% of the land is covered by forest representing the three principal zones: tropical, temperate, and alpine. Bhutan is also one of the few biodiversity hot spots in the world where forest coverage has actually increased – now comprising above 72% of the country’s total area.
What is a "Hot Spot"?
A “Hot Spot” is a forest habitat of high biodiversity and critical environmental importance. Unfortunately, many of these ecosystems are threatened by habitat destruction, climate change, and other factors. MISSION GREEN believes that these areas could significantly benefit from a canopy walkway conservation program.
MISSION GREEN Global "Hot Spots"
Canopy Walkways and Walkway Prospect Locations
