The ecosystem services derived from conservation areas have a high value for human well being, but they do not receive due consideration in public policy in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. As a result, conservation areas do not receive adequate public support for participatory management and other approaches. The lack …
The ecosystem services derived from conservation areas have a high value for human well being, but they do not receive due consideration in public policy in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. As a result, conservation areas do not receive adequate public support for participatory management and other approaches. The lack …
Nepal, Bhutan and India have agreed to work together to allow the free movement of animal species and address problems of poaching, overgrazing, forest fires and the spread of livestock diseases by developing biodiversity corridors along Mount Kanchanjunga. Rich landscape around the Kanchanjunga range includes 15 protected areas spread across …
Centre for Development Finance (CDF) at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) Chennai, in collaboration with the Department of Forest Environment and Wildlife Management, Sikkim (DFEWM) conducted this study to evaluate grazing exclusion policy in protected forests in West Sikkim. The goal of the study was to examine …
Gangtok, Nov. 10: The Sikkim forest department is planning an aerial survey of Kanchenjungha National Park next week to assess if the bio-diversity hotspot has suffered damage or wildlife was killed in the September quake. There have been no reports of any wildlife deaths from the other reserve forests and …
GANGTOK: Glaciers in north Sikkim, disturbed by the 6.8 magnitude earthquake, have started melting faster, leading to fears of flash floods in the region. Geologists say the increasing flow of water could threaten the flora and fauna of the Kanchenjunga National Park, the highest national park in India. In the …
The Himalaya is experiencing rapid climate change that is likely to significantly impact local ecosystems, biodiversity, agriculture and human well-being. However, the scientific community has been slow to examine the extent and consequences of climate change. Local communities have been coping with environmental change since millennia. Thus they often have …
We assessed distribution and abundance of mammals in dense, rugged eastern Himalayan habitats of Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (BR), Sikkim, India, from April 2008 to May 2010, using field methods and remote cameras under varying rain and snow conditions. We report the occurrence of 42 mammals including 18 species that have …
A recent survey conducted by the Sikkim forest department and the World Wildlife Fund has revealed that there are around 300 red pandas in the state. The project, that started in 2008, was conducted in Pangolakha wildlife sanctuary in East Sikkim and Barsey rhododendron sanctuary in the West district and …
Shifting cultivation is an indigenous farming practice prevalent in forested highland communities of the Eastern Himalayas. Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA) is a part of Eastern Himalayan landscape. KCA is a community managed area occupying 2,035 sq. km in Taplejung district in eastern Nepal. It is one of the biodiversity hotspots …
The alpine vegetation of the Sikkim Himalaya has received limited attention despite being a part of the Eastern Himalaya global biodiversity hotspot. The current study undertaken in the third highest landscape in the world—the Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP)—provides information on the different alpine vegetation communities and aspects of their ecology. …
Gangtok, July 12: Trekking enthusiasts who litter mountain trails with disposables in Sikkim now have to cough up a fine of Rs 5,000. The fine will be imposed on tourists travelling along the famed Geochala and Dzongri high altitude trails of the Kanchenjungha National Park in West and North districts …
Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve (KBR), the virgin pockets of the forests, in the Sikkim Himalaya, was known earlier as National Park since 1977 covering 1,784 km. The vascular plant diversity of KBR is remarkable having 1580 vascular plants.
Students and young people are at the forefront of a protest against hydel projects that are being planned in Sikkim. AT THE VENUE of the relay fast that has continued in Gangtok since June 2007. The Affected Citizens of Teesta comprises students, professionals and former politicians. DAWA LEPCHA has a …
The boundary of Kanchenjunga Conservation Area in Nepal is being expanded. This will make the whole belt of northeastern Nepal a protected area for flora and fauna. At present the area covers 1,650 square kilometres. To expand the area Milke Hill will be included. "After 30 years, the local people …
