Kingdom of Bhutan
Nature Club
Phuntshothang Middle Secondary School
'Raising conservation awareness to help protect, manage and monitor species and habitats'
Phuntshothang Middle Secondary School is situated in the south-eastern foothills of Bhutan. Phuntshothang is a small town in a rural area. It is surrounded by wildlife-rich forest and agricultural land.
The tropical, subtropical and temperate montane forests are very important for nature conservation. They are home to numerous bird species, including rare and endangered hornbills and the Beautiful Nuthatch.
As part of their vision for Nature Clubs, RSPN suggest the clubs should engage local communities in practical conservation activities, including studying and promoting solutions to local environmental issues.
Our Nature Club wishes to help conserve the wildlife that surrounds the school and particularly within Deothang-NSJ IBA (Important Bird Area), which lies opposite (west) the school within Biological Corridor 5 of the Bhutan Biological Conservation Complex. This area is increasingly threatened by forest loss. It has been classified as 'outstanding for biological diversity and endemism' and is home to IUCN Red List vulnerable species.
With support from RSPN, Bhutan Birdlife, NBC and the Department of Forests and Park Services, the Nature Club is currently developing a programme to study the diversity and threats to wildlife, especially birds and bats, in the Phuntshothang area and particularly in the Deothang-NSJ IBA.
To help us with our work, we are starting to develop a library (soft and/or hard copies) of books and publications. These include studies by our team and also fellow teachers and scientists elsewhere in Bhutan.
Recent examples include:
Dendup, P. et al. 2021. Bird diversity and conservation threats in Jigme Dorji National Park, Bhutan. Global Ecology and Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01771
Dendup, T., P. Soisook, & S. Bumrungsi. 2021. Habitat Selections of Himalayan Insectivorous Bats in Forest-Dominated Landscapes. Acta Chiropterologica, 23(1): 165-176. https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2021.23.1.013
Norbu et al. 2021. On the high bird diversity in the non-protected regions of Trashiyangtse District in Bhutan. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 13(9): 19274–19292. https://doi.org/10.11609/jot.6843.13.9.19274-19292