Bhoutan

The Journal of Bhutan Studies (ISSN 1608-411X) is a twice-yearly publication of the Centre for Bhutan Studies, an autonomous research institute dedicated towards promoting research and scholarship on Bhutan. The institute is governed by the Council for the Centre of Bhutan Studies. The journal publishes scholarly research on the social, cultural and economic aspects of Bhutan.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge sharing centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalaya – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan – and based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Globalization and climate change have an increasing influence on the stability of fragile mountain ecosystems and the livelihoods of mountain people.

Following Britain’s victory in the 1865 Duar War, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for ceding land to British India. Ugyen WANGCHUCK - who had served as the de facto ruler of an increasingly unified Bhutan and had improved relations with the British toward the end of the 19th century - was named king in 1907. Three years later, a treaty was signed whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs, and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs.

We are the world’s first environmental trust fund, established in 1992 as a collaborative venture between the Royal Government of Bhutan, United Nations Development Program, and World Wildlife Fund. An endowment of US$20 million was set up as an innovative mechanism to finance conservation programs over the long term in Bhutan. Donors to the trust fund include the World Wildlife Fund and the Global Environment Facility, the governments of Bhutan, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.