UN helping Bhutan farmers to protect biodiversity and boost livelihoods

The farmers, mostly women in low-altitude and hard-to-access villages, possess unique knowledge of over 200 local plant species, such as mountain ginger and rhododendron, which can be used in the manufacture of essential oils, lip balms, organic candles, bio-soaps and other high-value products.

Farmers in the mountain kingdom of Bhutan are being helped by the UN to boost their livelihoods using their traditional knowledge while protecting the country's varied biodiversity.

The farmers, mostly women in low-altitude and hard-to-access villages, possess unique knowledge of over 200 local plant species, such as mountain ginger and rhododendron, which can be used in the manufacture of essential oils, lip balms, organic candles, bio-soaps and other high-value products.

A project supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aims to further study and harness the potential of these plants, train the farmers on biodiversity protection, and then develop products for sale in lucrative domestic and international markets.