We are the world’s first environmental trust fund, established in 1992 as a collaborative venture between the Royal Government of Bhutan, United Nations Development Program, and World Wildlife Fund. An endowment of US$20 million was set up as an innovative mechanism to finance conservation programs over the long term in Bhutan. Donors to the trust fund include the World Wildlife Fund and the Global Environment Facility, the governments of Bhutan, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.
Protected areas refer to areas of at least 1,000 hectares as scientific and natural reserves and strict nature reserves, national parks of national and international reputation, natural monuments and landscapes.