Centre for Environment and Climate Research (CECR)

Centre for Environment and Climate Research (CECR)

College of Natural Resources

Royal University of Bhutan

Lobesa, Punakha Bhutan.

The College of Natural Resources (CNR) was established in 1992 as the Natural Resources Training Institute under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. Later in 2004 the CNR joined the Royal University of Bhutan as a constituent member college. As an institute of higher learning the academic staff of the College are mandated to conduct research to support higher learning and assist in nation building of a knowledge-based society.

 In achieving this mandate, one of the missions of the CNR is to build the College as a resource centre for high quality professional and advisory services in the area of agriculture, natural resources management, and rural development including climate change resilience. To build the foundations on environment and climate studies, CNR, has started Bachelor of Science programme in Environment and Climate Studies. This programme focuses on environmental conservation, sustainable development and climate change resilience specifically linking human interaction with the earth system, and other related environmental sciences. To support this initiative, a proposal to establish the Centre for Environment and Climate Research (CECR) was approved by the Research and Innovation Committee of the Royal University of Bhutan in December 2017.

The CECR focuses on the following broad thematic areas for its research and advisory services:

  1) Environmental conservation, 2) Climate change adaptation, mitigation and resilient livelihood, 3) Food, water and land resources nexus, 4) Sustainable Development, and 5) Spatial information on biophysical, climate and human interactions. The environment in this context includes air, water, earth, forest, species, and biodiversity among others.

Vision

The centre will strive to be a dynamic and internationally recognized centre of excellence in Environment and Climate Research for Sustainable Development.

Mission

  • Encourage cutting edge research, knowledge and evidence building required to support people, societies and institutions to navigate the challenges ahead,
  • Generate new kinds of research methods and knowledge and share in new ways to cope with dynamic global contexts,
  • Build research collaborations and climate resilience frameworks,
  • Train a new generation of researchers,
  • Engage planners, decision-makers, the media, and the public to encourage interdisciplinary debates on cross cutting issues,
  • Disseminate and appraise research findings to relevant policy making bodies,
  • Develop appropriate climate resilient technology, and
  • Engage with communities to build capacity for climate resilient livelihood.

Mandates of the CECR

  • Lead development of research agendas for CNR,
  • Support sourcing of research funding to implement research,
  • Promote publication of high quality relevant research findings,
  • Build collaborative research networks between interested parties both within (e.g. Colleges of RUB, research institutes) and outside Bhutan (e.g. external universities and research centres),
  • Liaise and maintain contact with key actors, centres and agencies working in the environment sector in Bhutan,
  • Facilitate and support debate through lectures, seminars, workshops etc. on Bhutan™s environmental and climate change agenda and their policies,
  • Establish a resource centre on environment and climate studies that draws on comparative and relevant research and theory on mountain environment,
  • Provide professional and training services to different stakeholders, and
  • Organize community services on environmental services.

Governance

The CECR is coordinated by Dr. BhagatSuberi and is also the Head of the Department of Forestry. The centreisover-sighted by Dean of Research and Industrial Linkages (DRIL) under the Leadership of the President. All higher degree research including Master by Research and PhD programmesfunction under the Research and Innovation Section. The day-to-day functioning of the centres and the office of the DRIL is assisted by the Research and Liaison Officer.

Contact us at:

Mr. Sonam Tshering

Research / Liaison Officer

Phone: 00975 2 376250 (office)

Email: sonamt.cnr@rub.edu.bt


Dr. Om Katel

CECR Coordinator

Phone: 00975 2 376249 (Office)

Email: Om.cnr@rub.edu.bt