The Southeast Asian Cultural Heritage Alliance (Seacha) is holding a talk on "How Traditional Ways Of Life In Bhutan Help Sustain The Environment" via Zoom, on Saturday at 11am.
Conducted by Tashi Topden, an expert in tourism from Bhutan, the talk will discuss how the relationship between the Bhutanese people and the environment has been forged over centuries within moral, cultural and ecological boundaries.
Traditional and local beliefs promote the conservation of the environment, and key ecological areas were recognised as the abodes of gods, goddesses, protective deities and mountain, river, forest and underworld spirits.
Buddhism and animism reinforced this traditional conservation ethic and promoted values such as respect for all forms of life and giving back to the Earth what one has taken away.
Despite these deeply embedded environmentalist beliefs, climate change impacts cultures across the globe, and Bhutan is no exception. While globalisation and modernisation have posed new threats, Bhutan has developed unique philosophies to preserve its ways of life and ecosystem.
These philosophies have developed as an imperative of not only traditional values alone, but in conjunction with modern science.
A senior tour leader/travel agent in Bhutan, Tashi has been leading treks and tours for three decades. He studied in Bhutan and India and was handpicked by Bhutan Tourism to attend a course in Eco Tourism in Thailand, Mountain Leadership in Switzerland and Mountaineering Training in Austria.
He will be joined by a roundtable of three representatives from Seacha -- Kanitha Kasina-Ubol, Nicha Patradhilok and Thepduangchan Bounthideth.
There is no admission fee and registrations should be made via bit.ly/3VlB5Zy.
