Cultural Wisdom and Sustainable Development in Satsam Chorteon

Abstract

In 1982, the United Nations initiated the World Commission on Environment and Development. This Commission defined sustainable development as “the ability to guarantee meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the coming generations to meet their own needs.” Adopting this definition here, I explore the influence and relevance of this approach to the context of Bhutan. Next, I intend to explore age-old practices of sustainable development that are deeply embedded within Bhutanese social, cultural, political and economic life-worlds. Through a case study of Satsam Chorteon, I will illustrate that sustainable development can be achieved using bottom-up approaches, with the help of local knowledge and old-age practices.