Birth Rate is a crude measure of fertility of a population and is a crucial determinant of population growth. It gives the number of live births per thousand population in a given region and year. The Birth Rate at all India level has declined drastically over the last five decades …
If there is an ideal ecotourism destination in India, it is Sikkim. This eastern Himalayan state of India with its pristine mountains, crystal clear lakes and rich cultural and natural diversity, is fast gaining popularity. Attracting some two lakh tourists a year, of which 12,000 are foreigners, it has witnessed …
Not everyone is thrilled with ecotourism. Many believe that the big business of tourism people is only using the people in destinations, who offer their natural, social and cultural resources to make the
If tourism revenues are generated by the quality of natural goods like a healthy tiger habitat or an excellent coral reef, then should tourists not be asked to pay an ecotax to conserve them? This year the socialist-green regional government of the Balearic Islands in Spain has attempted to do …
• The Supreme Court recently slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the Union environment ministry for showing laxity in probing the disappearance of huge quantity of hazardous waste oil from major ports. • The Sikkim Forest Department arrested a person on charges of smuggling medicinal plants from Borong recently. …
environmentalists and forest department officials in Sikkim are incensed at the recent release of two Russians who were found stealing rare species of butterflies, moths and beetles from the Kanchenjunga National Park. The two Russians, Victor Sinyaev and Oleg Amosov, were arrested by the state's forest department under the Wildlife …
the Himalayan state of Sikkim is a paradise for nature lovers. It is also thronged by those who want to exploit the area's biodiversity for financial gains. Two Russians were arrested on July 30, 2001, for illegally collecting insects in large quantity from the remote Yuksam forest of the Kanchenjunga …
in the recently-concluded assembly elections, the Sikkim Democratic Front , led by Pawan Kumar Chamling, was returned to power in Sikkim winning 24 out of the 32 seats in the assembly. Chamling was rated as the greenest chief minister in a recent survey of Down To Earth readers which was …
Kanchendzonga, or the "five big treasures of ice' in the language of the Bhotia tribe of Sikkim, is the symbol of Sikkim's cultural identity, which is closely linked to nature. It is also venerated by Buddhists as the home of their presiding deity. It is also the source of nourishment …
For his commitment to the environment and sustainable development, Pawan Kumar Chamling, the chief minister of Sikkim, was recently honoured by the Centre for Science and Environment ( cse ), New Delhi. A survey conducted by cse of 237 environmentalists from all over India adjudged Chamling as the greenest chief …
Born in Yamnang, a sleepy little in Sikkim's west, Chamling got involved in rehabilitation of landless people after completing school. "In fact, I donated some of my own land to settle landless people" he says, recalling his days as an activist. Transition from social work to politics came naturally, more …
ADMIRERS He may not be sophisticated enough to view environmental problems like a trained activist, but he understands them in his own way. His solutions may sometimes look roughshod but his willingness to learn is his greatest asset. What more can one expect from someone who took over after 14 …
RAWAN KUMAR CHAMUNG Do you think environmental issues are important?, No development process can exclude environmental manage- ment. I grew up amidst natural beauty. So when I see it being degraded in the name of development, I feel very disturbed. In southwest Sikkim, thereffias been large-scale deforestation. Streams are now …
Seventy-year-old Aitamai has lived in Sichey Basti on the outskirts of Gangtok for over 40 years now. "But I have never seen such a bad landslide," she says, referring to the one that devastated her house in 1996. Aitamai remembers with horror the day the otherwise-calm jhoras (rapids) that criss-cross …
Bhotiyas are a pastoral-migratory community, inhabiting the high alti - tudes of Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim. Bhotiyas spend the winter in the foothills and migrate to the high hills during the summer. Pasto- ralism is their primary occupation, supplemented by agriculture and trade in medicinal plants. The Bhotiyas of Uttar …
Toshi, a little girl in Gangtok, wakes up everyday to see a montage of pictures of wild animals - the golden langur, red panda, blue sheep and others she cannot recognise - on the wall. Looking out of the window, she can see the mountain ranges with Kangchendzonga peak standing …
A major factor accounting for the decline in species in Sikkim is lack of study of the ecosystem and inadequate conservation. As A R K Sastry, director, Biodiversity 'Hotspots' Conservation Programme (bhcp) of the Worldwide Fund for Nature says: "Studies conducted on the biodiversity of Sikkim are not enough to …
The first patch of virgin forest was cleared in Sikkim at Nathula Pass, after the king invited the Indian Army to protect the kingdom in 1962. Remote areas were connected by roads to facilitate movement of the army. But development activity began in right earnest after 1975, when Sikkim merged …
Sikkim has three types of forests: temperate broad-leaved (1,829-2,730 m), mixed coniferous (2,730-3,650 m), and alpine scrub and grasslands (above 3,650 m). These forests support a wide range of vegetation. Temperate broad-leaved forests in the state are dominated by oak species like Quercus lineata and Q lamellosa. There are 11 …
Sikkim has a number of rare animal species. Poor conservation practices have resulted in decimation of their populations. Of the 144 mammals known to exist in the state, 39 are regarded as endangered or rare. These include the red panda, east Himalayan tahr, musk deer, snow leopard, jungle cat, marbled …
