Jigmi Wangdi

The Mongal Ecology Centre (MEC), a non-governmental organisation from Mongolia, donated 15 motorcycles to the Department of Forest and Park Services (DoFPS) as part of its ongoing Rally for Rangers initiative on November 13.

This marks the second phase of the MEC’s support to Bhutanese forest rangers, following a similar donation of 15 motorcycles in 2022.

The MEC’s executive director, Badral Yondon, said that the idea for this initiative was born from a visit to national parks in Mongolia, where he encountered a ranger whose motorcycle had broken down. The ranger was using his personal bike due to lack of government funding to provide proper equipment. Inspired by this, he and his team decided to fundraise and donate motorcycles to national parks in Mongolia.

“What started as a small idea to help one ranger quickly grew into a larger initiative,” said Badral Yondon. “We raised funds and eventually donated 15 motorcycles to 15 rangers. From there, we expanded our efforts to other countries—Argentina, Nepal, Peru, Bhutan, and Namibia—because we recognised that rangers everywhere face similar challenges.”

In Bhutan, MEC’s latest donation was made possible through the support of 15 individual donors, each contributing to the purchase of a motorcycle. Before the official handover to the DoFPS, the donors had the unique opportunity to tour Bhutan on the motorcycles, visiting national parks that had received donations in 2022.

One of the donors, Steve Zuschin, an avid outdoorsman and motorcycling enthusiast, said, “The idea of using motorcycles to help preserve the environment resonated with me. Bhutan has always held a special place in my heart, and this was a great way to support the country’s commitment to conserving its natural resources.”

Steve Zuschin, who returned to Bhutan this year, was moved by the impact the motorcycles had on the rangers’ work. “To hear how it has impacted their work and how motorcycles are helping them be better at their jobs was overwhelming,” he said.

A forest ranger with DoFPS, Nidup Gyeltshen, said that the donated motorcycles have dramatically improved the efficiency of forest patrols, particularly in the country’s remote regions. “The Department has distributed the motorcycles to areas depending on the landscape. These are areas where the jungles are dense, have roads that are  not motorable and places where such motorcycles are a necessity for travel,” he said. 

He said that the distribution greatly helped rangers serve the people while also protecting the local wildlife from poaching or other illegal activities, prominently in places where vehicles cannot travel.  “This critically helps rangers protect the parks and forests of the country. The impact of this support cannot be overstated.”

In a special handover ceremony, each motorcycle was presented to a forest ranger by one of the donors. The Rally for Rangers initiative is organised in partnership with Langur Ecotravels, a local eco-tourism company.