Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen inaugurates eco park on World Environment Day
5June 2016: Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen inaugurated the Thimphu Eco Park, during the World Environment Day celebrations in Thimphu.
The Thimphu Eco Park below the Changangkha Lhakhang, with large stretches of wetland within it, harbours diverse species of flora and fauna, and besides being a water reservoir, is also an important carbon sink. The 10.77 acres in the heart of the city, comprising mostly of wetland, has now been designated an urban park to protect the ecological wealth in the area.
Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen also planted a tree in the park, and launched the `Bhutan State of Environment’ report. Her Majesty then awarded prizes to the winners of the Youth Action for 4R’s Competition, which was held among 10 Thimphu Schools.
The theme for the World Environment Day this year is “Go Wild for Life: Zero tolerance for the illegal wildlife trade.” The Minister of Agriculture and Forests outlined the government’s plans to curb illegal wildlife trade in the region, during the event.
Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen also inaugurated the One Gewog One Product Shop and Traditional Cuisine House, located within the park premises. The One Gewog One Product Shop is an outlet for local produce from farmers across the country, packaged and marketed with the support of the Queen’s Project. A diverse range of organic food products and unique traditional handicrafts, produced by rural communities, will be sold at the OGOP Shop, bringing direct economical benefits to these communities.
The Traditional Cuisine House is a traditional restaurant that serves some of the more unusual traditional Bhutanese food. It is managed by volunteers from the Trongsa Penlop Thuendrel Club- comprising of recipients of the Trongsa Penlop Scholarship.
Her Majesty examines some of the products at the One Gewog One Product Shop. The One Gewog One Product Shop is an outlet for local produce from farmers across the country, packaged and marketed with the support of the Queen’s Project.