Friends of Bhutan in Cambridge

Representatives from the Friends of Bhutan Society (Czech Republic) had the honour of expanding the links of the Society and meeting up with Mr Lhendup Tharchen, a current student at the University of Cambridge. The informal meeting took place at King’s College, Cambridge and it was a real privilege to have the opportunity to introduce our Society in this special place.

Andrea, Lhendup and Lilia in King’s College, Cambridge

Mr Lhendup Tharchen is currently pursuing MPhil in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge. His particular interests are in conservation of big cats focusing on tigers and snow leopards, predator-prey dynamics, human wildlife conflict, climate change, ecosystem valuation, social capital in conservation, protected area governance and community based conservation initiatives. Before pursuing his MPhil studies, Mr Lhendup had graduated with BSc in Life Science from Sherubtse College, Bhutan; received his M.Sc in Forestry from Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, India and also studied International wildlife Conservation at the University of Oxford, UK in 2010.

Before coming to Cambridge, Mr Lhendup served as the Park Manager of the Jigme Dorji National Park – the second-largest National Park in Bhutan and one of the most important conservation areas in the country. Prior to this, he served as the national focal person for tiger and snow leopard conservation.

We were fascinated to learn about his research work in the areas of ecosystem management, human wildlife conflict, protected area governance and biodiversity conservation – all linking closely to pursuit of Gross National Happiness.

It was an honour to have the opportunity to introduce our Society in Cambridge and we would like to thank Mr Lhendup for his time. We are deeply grateful and look forward to future collaborations strengthening links between the Czech Republic and Bhutan.