A Field Guidebook titled “Butterflies in and around Phobjikha Valley” published

A pictorial field guidebook on “Butterflies in and around Phobjikha Valley” was published under the Conmmunity-based Sustainable Tourism Project. The booklet contains 80 species of butterflies that are found in and around the valley and along the highway between Wangduephodrang and Phobjikha.

The significance of Phobjikha valley is primarily attributed to the wetland ecosystem that serve as a winter habitat for the endangered Black-necked cranes. The wetland, surrounding watersheds, and agricultural areas make Phobjikha a biologically rich and scenic tourist destination. In the process of implementing conservation and sustainable livelihoods program, RSPN has continuously generated information and knowledge and created environmental awareness among local communities and institutions.

The book contains around 120 pages of pictorial description of butterflies with remaining pages of the book describing physical description of butterflies. With 163 total pages and handy for the field usage, it was published in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Environmental Education Forum (JEEF).

In 2007, RSPN also published a pictorial handbook titled “Butterflies of Bhutan”, which is RSPN’s continued effort to document rich and diverse butterfly species in Bhutan.