The protected areas of Bhutan comprises four national parks, four wildlife sanctuaries and one strict nature reserve. Revised in 1993 to represent Bhutan's complete ecosystems, the parks network encompasses 26.3 percent of the land (10,758 square km). In 1999, an additional 9.5 percent of the country was demarcated as biological corridors linking all nine protected areas, and declared a gift to the earth from the Bhutanese people.
All parks are legally protected with varying management prescriptions based on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's categories for protected areas, with a majority of parks zoned into core, administrative, buffer and multiple-use zones. The common conservation approach integrating conservation priorities with economic development needs, aims to ensure the long-term conservation of the parks' natural resources while bringing sustainable economic development to local communities. The trust fund supported the legal gazettement of the parks and demarcating their boundaries, and is currently financing the recruitment and specialised training of crucial human resources to manage these parks.
There are nine protected areas in the country covering 17 dzongkhags and consists of four national parks, four wildlife sanctuaries and one strict nature reserve.