Eastern Himalayas

More than 70 percent of Bhutan’s land is covered by intact forests. Bhutan has an ambitious plan to maintain almost 400,000 acres of ‘wildlife highways’ that connect protected areas across the country. As the only international conservation organization with a permanent presence in Bhutan, WWF collaborates with the royal government to address Bhutan’s economic and environmental needs. We also engage and raise the technical capacity of the local people through education.

The Himalayas are an important source of fresh water for millions of people in South Asia. Its alpine meadows and conifer forests harbor an array of rare plant life and endangered species. WWF’s Sacred Himalayan Landscape taps into the spiritual beliefs and conservation ethics of local communities to restore essential habitats and protect endangered species such as the snow leopard. We help local communities and local governments manage their forests, streams, soils and wildlife more sustainably. We also directly improve people’s lives through activities such as the establishment of women’s groups that focus on literacy and sustainable income generation skills.

Cambodian monks are now advocates for the protection of the Mekong dolphin. The 80 remaining endangered Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins live in one of the greatest rivers on Earth, the Mekong River. By protecting the dolphin and its habitat, WWF is also able to protect the river’s other species. WWF’s partnership with the His Holiness the Mahasangharaja Bour Kry, the Great Supreme Patriarch of Buddhism in Cambodia, about the plight of this dolphin population has resulted in his monks helping WWF monitor and protect the dolphins.

The Tibetan Plateau is a deceptively fragile ecosystem of immense biological and cultural importance. This high altitude Serengeti is home to the snow leopard, red panda and vast herds of wild yak, gazelle and antelope. The glaciers and wetlands of Tibet are the source of many of Asia’s most important rivers, including the Yangtze, Mekong and Brahmaputra, all of which ensure fresh water to nearly half of humanity. These rivers and glaciers are now imperiled by climate change. WWF focuses on implementation of adaptation strategies aimed at ensuring the long-term viability of these river source areas.

Old-growth forests extend from Bhutan into northeast India, where a growing population and infrastructure projects threaten some of the largest and last intact forests in Asia. WWF applies its experiences from community-based conservation in the Terai Arc and Bhutan to protect the forests of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, restore critical elephant habitats, and reduce incidents of human-elephant conflict.