Effective School Discipline Practices of Some Primary Schools in Pema Gatshel Dzongkhag

The study was conducted under Pema Gatshel Dzongkhag (district) to investigate the effectiveness of school discipline under Pema Gatshel district in Bhutan. The main objective of this article was to evaluate the perception of the effective school discipline according to the principals, teachers, and parents. This paper was a qualitative study based on in-depth semi-structured interviews which were limited to forty-five key participants from six different schools under the Pema Gatshel district. Data were analyzed employing content analysis. The major findings of this study revealed that for efficient functioning of school discipline policy in schools, various stakeholders like parents, teachers, students and the community should work collaboratively. The study also revealed that schools should include students and parents in the decision-making process particularly while trying to bring changes to school discipline policy

Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan: A Hot Spot for Wild Felids

The non-uniformity of the distribution of biodiversity makes allocation of the limited resources available for conservation of biodiversity a difficult task. Approaches such as biodiversity hotspot identification, endemic bird areas, crisis ecoregions, global 200 ecoregions, and the Last of the Wild are used by scientists and international conservation agencies to prioritize conservation efforts. As part of the biodiverse Eastern Himalayan region, Bhutan has been identified as a conservation priority area by all these different approaches, yet data validating these assessments are limited. To examine whether Bhutan is a biodiversity hot spot for a key taxonomic group, we conducted camera trapping in the lower foothills of Bhutan, in Royal Manas National Park, from November 2010 to February 2011. We recorded six species of wild felids of which five are listed on the IUCN Red List: tiger Panthera tigris, golden cat Pardofelis temminckii, marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata, leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis, clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa and common leopard Panthera pardus. Our study area of 74 km(2) has c. 16% of felid species, confirming Bhutan as a biodiversity hot spot for this group

Examining Temporal Sample Scale and Model Choice with Spatial Capture-Recapture Models in the Common Leopard \u3ci\u3ePanthera pardus\u3c/i\u3e

Many large carnivores occupy a wide geographic distribution, and face treats from habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, prey depletion, and human wildlife-conflicts. Conservation requires robust techniques for estimating population densities and trends, but the elusive nature and low densities of many large carnivores make them difficult to detect. Spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models provide a means for handling imperfect detectability, while linking population estimates to individual movement patterns to provide more accurate estimates than standard approaches. Within this framework, we investigate the effect of different sample interval lengths on density estimates, using simulations and a common leopard (Panthera pardus) model system. We apply Bayesian SCR methods to 89 simulated data sets and camera-trapping data from 22 leopards captured 82 times during winter 2010-2011 in Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan. We show that sample interval length from daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly periods did not appreciably affect median abundance or density, but did influence precision. We observed the largest gains in precision when moving from quarterly to shorter intervals. We therefore recommend daily sampling intervals for monitoring rare or elusive species where practicable, but note that monthly or quarterly sample periods can have similar informative value. We further develop a novel application of Bayes factors to select models where multiple ecological factors are integrated into density estimation. Our simulations demonstrate that these methods can help identify the true explanatory mechanisms underlying the data. Using this method, we found strong evidence for sex-specific movement distributions in leopards, suggesting that sexual patterns of space-use influence density. This model estimated a density of 10.0 leopards/100 km2 (95% credibility interval: 6.25-15.93), comparable to contemporary estimates in Asia. These SCR methods provide a guide to monitor and observe the effect of management interventions on leopards and other species of conservation interest

A comparison of minority shareholders’ remedies in British Columbia and Bhutan

Minority shareholders investing their capital in business corporations face two primary risks. First, the business risk of the undertaking common to all investors, and second, the risk of disagreements within the corporate organization when their situation may be weaker compared to the majority shareholders. The interests of minority shareholders are often been made virtually worthless by the machinations of those in control of the corporation. Minority shareholders can be deprived of any income from the corporation, either in the form of dividends or salary, or they may be excluded from any effective voice in business decisions and denied information about corporate affairs. Often, they can eventually be ousted from the corporation and receive only a fraction of the real value of their interests. Conflicts of interests amongst shareholders constitute a serious threat to the success and survival of the corporation. In the absence of protective mechanisms, control is usually in the hands of the majority shareholders. While remedies do exist in the law (common law) for unexpected problems, contractual mechanisms stipulated at the inception of the corporation and market forces may also reduce the possibility of conflicts of interests arising in the course of carrying on the corporate business. The common law or even detailed mechanisms and prevailing market forces cannot, however, always take care of the wide variety and forms that the suppression of minority interests may assume. The common law is hesitant about interfering with the internal business affairs of the corporation and contractual arrangements may be inadequate due to the inherent inability of the human mind to foresee every future contingency. Market forces may also not always operate unimpeded. Therefore, corporate statutory provisions such as the derivative action, windingup on the just and equitable ground and oppression and appraisal remedies have been introduced to supplement the common law, contractual mechanisms and market forces in the interest of the protection of minority shareholders. The provisions of these statutory remedies enable minority shareholders to either prevent the threat or rectify the abuse of corporate power. However, most of these corporate statutory remedies are surrounded with procedural requirements and other technicalities, which may diminish their utility as productive weapons available to minority shareholders. In this work, I propose to study the needs that gave rise to the various statutory remedies and the adequacy of these remedies made available to minority shareholders in British Columbia companies with particular reference to the responses of the common law, the legislature and the judiciary. Finally, I will study the possibility of borrowing these remedies from the British Columbia Company Act as models for the revision of the Bhutan Company Act which does not presently have such remedies.Law, Peter A. Allard School ofGraduat

A comparison of minority shareholders’ remedies in British Columbia and Bhutan

Minority shareholders investing their capital in business corporations face two primary risks. First, the business risk of the undertaking common to all investors, and second, the risk of disagreements within the corporate organization when their situation may be weaker compared to the majority shareholders. The interests of minority shareholders are often been made virtually worthless by the machinations of those in control of the corporation. Minority shareholders can be deprived of any income from the corporation, either in the form of dividends or salary, or they may be excluded from any effective voice in business decisions and denied information about corporate affairs. Often, they can eventually be ousted from the corporation and receive only a fraction of the real value of their interests. Conflicts of interests amongst shareholders constitute a serious threat to the success and survival of the corporation. In the absence of protective mechanisms, control is usually in the hands of the majority shareholders. While remedies do exist in the law (common law) for unexpected problems, contractual mechanisms stipulated at the inception of the corporation and market forces may also reduce the possibility of conflicts of interests arising in the course of carrying on the corporate business. The common law or even detailed mechanisms and prevailing market forces cannot, however, always take care of the wide variety and forms that the suppression of minority interests may assume. The common law is hesitant about interfering with the internal business affairs of the corporation and contractual arrangements may be inadequate due to the inherent inability of the human mind to foresee every future contingency. Market forces may also not always operate unimpeded. Therefore, corporate statutory provisions such as the derivative action, windingup on the just and equitable ground and oppression and appraisal remedies have been introduced to supplement the common law, contractual mechanisms and market forces in the interest of the protection of minority shareholders. The provisions of these statutory remedies enable minority shareholders to either prevent the threat or rectify the abuse of corporate power. However, most of these corporate statutory remedies are surrounded with procedural requirements and other technicalities, which may diminish their utility as productive weapons available to minority shareholders. In this work, I propose to study the needs that gave rise to the various statutory remedies and the adequacy of these remedies made available to minority shareholders in British Columbia companies with particular reference to the responses of the common law, the legislature and the judiciary. Finally, I will study the possibility of borrowing these remedies from the British Columbia Company Act as models for the revision of the Bhutan Company Act which does not presently have such remedies

New distribution record of the Bhutan Takin Budorcas taxicolor whitei Hodgson, 1850 (Cetartiodactyla: Bovidae) in Bhutan

A camera trapping survey in eastern Bhutan in 2015 has yielded a picture of the Bhutan Takin in the uplands of Kurichu River watersheds in east of Wangchuck Centennial National Park, and is the easternmost documented  distribution of the species in Bhutan. The photograph was taken on 30th June 2015 at 9:24 AM in the site located on 27056’03.8’’E &amp; 91004’53.7”N at 3,898m. The habitat is dominated by Fir and Rhododendron.</p

Predation by leopards of Black-necked Cranes Grus nigricollis in Bhutan

Volume: 27Start Page: 117End Page: 11

Monographs on Medicinal Plants of Bhutan

[Extract] Bhutanese Traditional Medicine (gso-ba-rig-pa) occupies a significant place for its role both for the healthcare as well as its cultural importance. Therefore, it is important to continuously preserve, improve, validate and promote it through marriage of scientific technologies with ancient knowledge and wisdom. In this line, the Institute of Traditional Medicine Services (ITMS) has come up with a number of research and development initiatives, one of which is the development of Monograph on Medicinal Plants of Bhutan. The first volume of Monograph which was developed in 2006 has significantly served in improving the quality of Bhutanese traditional medicines as well as generated income through its sale. The Monograph also disseminated information on Bhutanese medicinal plants both within and outside Bhutan

Monographs on Medicinal Plants of Bhutan

[Extract] Bhutanese Traditional Medicine (gso-ba-rig-pa) occupies a significant place for its role both for the healthcare as well as its cultural importance. Therefore, it is important to continuously preserve, improve, validate and promote it through marriage of scientific technologies with ancient knowledge and wisdom. In this line, the Institute of Traditional Medicine Services (ITMS) has come up with a number of research and development initiatives, one of which is the development of Monograph on Medicinal Plants of Bhutan. The first volume of Monograph which was developed in 2006 has significantly served in improving the quality of Bhutanese traditional medicines as well as generated income through its sale. The Monograph also disseminated information on Bhutanese medicinal plants both within and outside Bhutan

Biological and Linguistic Diversity in Bhutan: The Search for Connections

The inspiration for this article came from the release of the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) report, 'Indigenous and Traditional Peoples of the World and Ecoregion Conservation: An Integrated Approach to Conserving the World's Biological and Cultural Diversity' (Maffi, Oviedo, et a1. 2000). This report highlights the fact that the world's most biologically rich and diverse areas are also the regions of greatest cultural, and in particular, linguistic diversity. Other research has suggested that there is a '64% overlap between the 25 countries with the greatest number of endemic vertebrate species and the 25 countries with the greatest number of endemic languages' (Suckling 2000: 4)