The Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN) (Dzongkha: རྒྱལ་འཛིན་རང་བཞིན་སྲུང་སྐྱོབ་ཚོགས་སྡེ་; Wylie: Rgyal-'dzin Rang-bzhin Srung-skyob Tshogs-sde; Gyäzin Rangzhin Rungchop Tshogde) is Bhutan's first and only private nonprofit organization with nation-wide operations. Since its foundation in 1987, the RSPN has promoted conservation, education, outreach, and sustainable development. In 2009, the RSPN reincorporated under the Civil Society Authority, and operates as a public benefit organization (PBO) under Bhutanese law.[1][2]
The RSPN is particularly active in protecting the Phobjika Valley (Wangdue Phodrang District), home to many endangered species such as the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis). This valley contains wildlife corridors connecting Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park with other protected areas of Bhutan, however most of the area is not under official government protection. To meet environmental needs, RSPN staff run projects to promote sustainable ecotourism, alternative energy, and gender equity. As of 2010, the organization had outfitted more than two hundred homes, monasteries, and other buildings with solar photovoltaic panels, and provided Bhutanese women with solar water heaters, one-pot hole mud stoves, rain barrels, and other assets that improve both human and environmental conditions.[1]