ITS vice chairman chairs consultative meeting with Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management department

GANGTOK, (IPR): Members of the Institute for Transforming Sikkim (ITS), led by vice chairman C.P. Sharma, held a consultative meeting with senior officials of the Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management department today at the conference hall of Tashiling Secretariat.

MLA and advisor to Forest department, Tenzing Norbu Lamtha, in his address, emphasised the importance of checks and balances and highlighted the need for sustainability and proper maintenance of created assets, cautioning that failure to maintain them could eventually turn them into liabilities.

Planning and Development secretary Tushar Nikhare, in his welcome address, apprised the gathering that the objective of holding a series of consultation meetings with various departments is to discuss their respective visions for Viksit Sikkim @2047 and gather inputs and suggestions from different departments.

Chief Wildlife Warden and Chief Conservator of Forests (Environment/HQ) Dr. D. Manjunatha, in his presentation, highlighted Sikkim’s rich biodiversity and the importance of strengthening landscape-based conservation, climate resilience and human-wildlife coexistence. He identified human-wildlife conflict, climate change and habitat fragmentation as key challenges and outlined the five strategic goals under the Sikkim Wildlife Sector Vision 2047, focusing on biodiversity conservation, climate-resilient ecosystems, human-wildlife coexistence, green livelihoods and smart wildlife governance.

He further highlighted flagship programmes on wildlife connectivity, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, red panda and high-altitude species recovery, smart wildlife monitoring and the promotion of a green wildlife economy. The Vision targets a 75 percent reduction in crop damage and livestock losses and near-zero human fatalities by 2047, while strengthening community participation and technology-enabled wildlife management.

Forest additional director (Planning) Nischal Gautam, in his presentation, apprised the gathering of the state’s initiatives and achievements in forest conservation and biodiversity management.

He highlighted that forest cover accounts for 47.33 percent of Sikkim’s geographical area, representing an increase of approximately 17.37 sq. km between 2021 and 2023, compared with the national average of 21.76 percent. He further stated that 5,841 sq. km, or more than 82 percent of the state’s geographical area, is classified as Recorded Forest Area (RFA), while an additional 1,297.77 sq. km lies outside the RFA.

Despite accounting for only around 0.2 percent of India’s geographical area, Sikkim supports approximately 26 percent of the country’s biodiversity. The state also has a Protected Area Network covering 30.77 percent of its geographical area, the highest percentage of protected-area coverage among Indian states, compared with the national average of approximately 5.3 percent.

Highlighting significant achievements in wildlife conservation, Gautam noted the first camera-trap capture of a snow leopard near Goru Jurey in Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary at an elevation of 9,583 feet. Remarkably, the same location had earlier yielded Sikkim’s first photographic record of a Royal Bengal Tiger on December 6, 2018.

He also highlighted the sighting of a rare and significant herd of Mishmi takin in Sikkim in 2026, describing it as one of the largest documented sightings of the species in the state in recent decades.

The presentation also covered the department’s ex-situ conservation efforts and its major awards and recognitions. Gautam elaborated on several key government initiatives and programmes, including ‘Mero Rukh, Mero Santati’, Sikkim Shishu Samriddhi Yojana, the ‘My Child from Wild’ initiative, revenue and policy implementation measures, and efforts to promote rural livelihoods and enhance farmers’ incomes through Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana – Watershed Development Component 2.0 (PMKSY-WDC 2.0).

He further briefed the gathering on the implementation of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 (VSSA, 1980), as well as the Nagar Van initiative.

Gautam also outlined the State’s performance against Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators, while highlighting key challenges and the way forward. He emphasised several critical areas requiring further strengthening to ensure the sustainable management of the state’s forests, wildlife and natural resources.

Concluding his presentation, he elaborated on the Government of Sikkim’s BiPaSa policy, aimed at the development of three core infrastructure sectors—Bijuli (electricity), Pani (drinking water) and Sadak (roads). He highlighted ‘Pa’ as a key component and explained how initiatives such as Mission Million Oak, Springshed Development, Pokhari Samrakshan and Roof Rainwater Harvesting contribute towards achieving the policy’s objectives.

Presentations were also made on the Territorial Circle; Forest Clearance Procedure as per the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980; Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA); Environment and Soil Conservation Circle; Silviculture Circle; Working Plan Circle; Survey and Demarcation Circle; and Research and Education Circle.

In his concluding remarks, ITS member James Saring Lepcha provided his inputs and suggestions to the department.

The IT Cell of the department also showcased the forest.sikkim.gov.in website, highlighting the department’s digital governance initiatives.

Earlier, prior to the commencement of the meeting, Planning and Development sector expert (Economics and Finance) Rosen Sharma apprised the gathering of the composition and functioning of the Institute for Transforming Sikkim.