Bhutan, the only country in the world to have fully preserved the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, stands as a unique model of balance between spirituality, culture, and nature. While resisting exploitation and globalization, the country has faced profound transformations and threats—from its gradual opening to the world in the 1960s to the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, rural and nomadic communities live in areas where income opportunities are limited, and their reliance on often insufficient agricultural products deepens economic hardship. Youth unemployment, worsened by border closures during the pandemic, has driven many toward illegal activities such as logging and the trafficking of sacred art. While tourism is one of the country's main sources of income, it remains concentrated in urban areas, leaving the most remote regions behind. Today, rural and nomadic communities live in areas where income opportunities are limited, and their reliance on often insufficient agricultural products deepens economic hardship. Youth unemployment, worsened by border closures during the pandemic, has driven many toward illegal activities such as logging and the trafficking of sacred art.