Animal Info - Bhutan

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in Bhutan and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

Critically Endangered:
- Pygmy Hog (Sus salvanius).
Endangered:
- Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus).
- Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica).
- Golden Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus geei).
- Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis).
- Particolored Flying Squirrel (Hylopetes alboniger).
- Red Panda (Lesser Panda) (Ailurus fulgens).
- Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia).
- Tiger (Panthera tigris).
- Wild Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis).
Vulnerable:
- Argali (Ovis ammon).
- Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus).
- Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii).
- Assamese Macaque (Macaca assamensis).
- Back-striped Weasel (Mustela strigidorsa).
- Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa).
- Dhole (Cuon alpinus).
- Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra).
- Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus).
- Gaur (Bos frontalis).
- Mainland Serow (Capricornis sumatraensis).
- Sikkim Rat (Rattus sikkimensis).
- Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus).
- Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata).
- Takin (Budorcas taxicolor).

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 99 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 0 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996: 20 (20 % of total species) (IUCN 1996); 2000: 23 (23 % of total species) (IUCN 2000)

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

Bhutan contains portions of the Eastern Himalayan Broadleaf & Conifer Forests, Eastern Himalayan Alpine Meadows, and Terai-Duar Savannas & Grasslands Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)
Bhutan contains portions of the Eastern Himalayas Global Biodiversity Hotspot (Cons. Intl. 1999a)

Population

Population in 1995: 823,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 17.5 people/sq km (45.4 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 1,908,307 (World Almanac 1999)
Average population growth rate, 1980 - 1990: 2.1 % (World Bank 1992)

Area/Land Use

Area: 47,001 sq km (18,147 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

Polar and Alpine: 25 %
Crop and Settlements: 25 %
Interrupted Woods: 19 %
Major Forests: 31 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Percent of land area classified as the following degree of human disturbance: Low: 29 %; Medium: 58 %; High: 13 % (WRI 1994)

Protected Lands

Area: 9,060 sq km (3,497 sq mi) (Groombridge 1992)
Percent of land protected: 1.41 % totally protected; 18.03 % partially protected; 19.44 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $174 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $730 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent of females in secondary education (1989): 2 % (World Bank 1992)
Percent adult literacy: Female: 25 % (1990); Male: 51 % (1990) (WRI 1994)

References and Links

References: Cons. Intl. 1999a, Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, World Almanac 1999, World Bank 1992, WRI 1994

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for Bhutan): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles; Links for Bhutan: Bhutan - The Last Shangri-La (PBS), United Nations Environment Program - Bhutan, World Wildlife Fund/Bhutan

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Last modified: February 18, 2006;