Currently, 72% of the country is under forest cover and the country’s environmental conservation drive receives further impetus from the ‘Constitution of The Kingdom of Bhutan’ which mandates the need to maintain 60% of the land under forest cover at all times.

The forests of Bhutan comprise fir, mixed conifers, temperate and broadleaf species while it also has 7,000 vascular plants, 360 orchid species, 46 species of rhododendron, and other rare and endemic species, including over 500 species of medicinal plants and rare flowers such as Edelweiss grow in huge numbers in Bhutan.

Bhutan has been identified as one of the 10 bio-diversity hotspots in the world, harbouring an estimated 770 species of birds which include the plumage, the Himalayan griffin, the unique high- altitude wader, the ibis bill, the spectacular hornbill, barbets, sunbirds, fulvattas, yuhinas, cuckoos, and many more.

The country also has a great variety of endangered species like the black-necked crane, the Monal pheasant, peacock pheasant, raven and the Rufous-necked hornbill. Along its southern border, the narrow tropical and subtropical belt supports the Asiatic elephant, greater one-horned rhinoceros, gaur, wild water buffalo, hog deer, tiger, clouded leopard, hornbill, trogon and other mammals and birds characteristic of indomalayan species.

Only 150 kilometers to the north, high Himalayan fauna include the blue sheep, Takin, musk deer, snow leopard, wolf and other species characteristic of the Palearctic realm.