National Biodiversity Centre, Bhutan

National Biodiversity Centre under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock coordinates biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in Bhutan. Bhutan became party to the international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1995 after ratification of the Convention by the 73rd session of the National Assembly. Subsequently, Bhutan developed the first Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) in 1998 – a guiding policy document for conservation and sustainable use of biological resources of the country. Concurrently, the National Biodiversity Centre was instituted in 1998 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock as an coordinating and implementing agency of the CBD and to coordinate biodiversity conservation and sustainable use programs in the country. Vision: Effective conservation, sustainable utilization, and equitable sharing of benefits arising from access and use of biological resources. Mandates: 1. To coordinate and implement biodiversity conservation and sustainable use programs in the country. 2. To coordinate and implement obligations under regional and international conventions, treaties, and protocols related to biodiversity. 3. To develop policies and legal frameworks for conservation and sustainable use of biological resources. 4. To serve as the national repository for germplasm and botanical collections. 5. To serve as the national focal agency to regulate access to biological resources of the country, ensuring equitable sharing of the benefits arising from access. 6. To serve as the national focal agency for bioprospecting and documentation of traditional knowledge associated with biological resources. 7. To serve as the national clearinghouse for biodiversity information. 8. To promote regional and international institutional linkages and collaboration for technology transfer, technical capacity enhancement, and collaborative research in the field of biodiversity.