Editorials 514 Bhutan was the first country in the world to pursue happiness as a state policy. The Bhutanese concept of happiness is deeper than the common meaning of happiness in industrialized countries. The philosophy of gross national happiness has several dimensions: it is holistic, recognizing people's spiritual, material, physical or social needs; it emphasizes balanced progress; it vie...

We identified a new genotype of bufavirus, BuV3, in fecal samples (0.8%) collected to determine the etiology of diarrhea in children in Bhutan. Norovirus GII.6 was detected in 1 sample; no other viral diarrheal pathogens were detected, suggesting BuV3 as a cause of diarrhea. This study investigates genetic diversity of circulating BuVs.

– Twenty-nine species of Bactrocera Macquart and Dacus Fabricius are recorded from Bhutan, including two new species, Dacus (Mellesis) dorjii Drew & Romig and Dacus (Mellesis) fletcheri Drew. Information is given on location of type specimens, host plants, attractant records and geographic distributions for all species. For revised species, synonymies, diagnoses and remarks are also included.

The complete genomes of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) viruses recovered in Libya and Saudi Arabia in 2013 are described here. These viruses belong to an FMD virus lineage (Ind-2001, topotype Middle East-South Asia, serotype O) which is normally endemic in the Indian subcontinent. A contemporary virus sequence from Bhutan is also reported here.

Aromatic plants have played key roles in the lives of tribal peoples living in the Himalaya by providing products for both food and medicine. This review presents a summary of aromatic medicinal plants from the Indian Himalaya, Nepal, and Bhutan, focusing on plant species for which volatile compositions have been described. The review summarizes 116 aromatic plant species distributed over 26 fa...

Recently, a small series of an unidentified notodontid moth from Bhutan was presented to me by Pavel Morozov (Moscow). The moth is described below, and represents a hitherto unknown species of the holarctic genus Notodonta Ochsenheimer, 1810 and the first record for the genus in the Himalayas.

This paper presents research findings on the contemporary practices and socio-cultural traditions of transhumant agro-pastoralism (TAP) in Bhutan. Despite the widespread practice of TAP in Bhutan, there has been limited research on the nature of the practice and associated socio-cultural traditions. Qualitative research methods were used to interview 24 migrating households and nine relevant ag...

The idea of the South Asia Rinderpest Eradication Campaign (SAREC) evolved alongside similar campaigns in Africa (PARC) and West Asia (WAREC). In 1983, FAO organized an Expert Consultation on Requirements for the Rinderpest Eradication Campaign in South Asia, which was held in India. Following the consultation, FAO commissioned a team to visit the five countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Ne...

A new species of the snakefly genus Inocellia Schneider, 1843 from northeastern India is described: Inocellia indica sp. nov. The new taxon represents the second species of Raphidioptera from the northeastern part of the Indian Subcontinent and appears to be closely related to I. bhutana Aspöck, Aspöck & Rausch, 1991 from neighboring Bhutan.

First record of the Long-snouted Bhutan Squirrel Dremomys lokriah bhotia (Wroughton, 1916) (Mammalia: Rodentia) from state West Bengal, India