Eco Watch 2005

Activities and Events 2004

MARCH, 2004

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in collaboration with ECOSS organized a training program on Appreciative Participatory Planning and Action for project partners from India, Nepal and Bhutan. To finalize the schedule of the training program and other details, a site visit with Dr. Nakul Chettri, representing ICIMOD from Kathmandu was made to Kalimpong and Lava. The final training was decided to be held in the month of April 2004.

FEBRUARY, 2004

To address the conservation issues of the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (KBR) a Gothala’s workshop was organized by The Mountain Institute and ECOSS and Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee were involved in facilitating the workshop at Gyalshing West Sikkim from 8^th – 10^th February 2004. In total there were 28 Gothalas (include Yak, Dzo and Sheep herders) from West Sikkim who attended the interactive workshop to address the immediate conservation threats and identify activities that could be initiated to address the threats. The livestock herders were engaged in mapping exercises, group and individual interviews and discussions relating to the threats inside the KBR. Various options to address the threats were discussed and livelihood options for the livestock herders were explored. The workshop brought awareness among the herders of the impact of over grazing inside the Khangchendzonga National park and activities were identified to minimize the negative impacts in and around the KBR.

ECOSS participated in the South Asian Sub Regional Economic Corporation SASEC (ADB) sponsored consultation meeting held at Kolkata on 12^th February 2004. The tourism development plan for SASEC member countries is being facilitated by the Asian Development Bank covering the decade from 2004 to 2014 during which period they aim to promote economic growth and reduce poverty. The meeting was attended by about 35 to 40 participants representing government, private, civil society, tour and travel operators and NGOs. It was an opportune moment for ECOSS to be involved in this process as it would provide opportunities to advocate and present our concerns through different forums. The meeting also gave an opportunity to network further and get in touch with similar like minded institutions.

To create livelihood options for communities living around the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve a Guides and Cooks training was conducted by ECOSS in collaboration with Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee and The Mountain Institute. The training was held at Gyalshing for 4 days at the Panchayat Bhawan complex. A total of 40 participants attended and participated the training camp successfully. Local resource persons from the Forest Department and District Administration also interacted with the participants and encouraged them to take the capacity building programs seriously and benefit from the trainings. Participants were provided training manuals for cooks and guides along with certificate upon completion of the training.

The first community consultation and planning exercise for the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Conservation Program . was conducted from 5^th – 10^th January 2004 at Nambu, Chauri and Rimbik villages of West Sikkim. The community consultation program was jointly conducted by Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Sikkim, the Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee (KCC) and The Mountain Institute (TMI). The week long planning and consultation in the village involved interviews to understand the local village issues and participatory rural appraisal exercises and reporting to the villagers. Action plans and activities were jointly prepared with communities to address alternate livelihood and conservation issues. The villagers were exposed to new techniques of planning for development and in the process capacity has been built among the CBOs of the villages to adopt similar techniques in their work.

On 9^th January 2004 with the active co-ordination of SIRD headed by Mr. Shanta Pradhan and the South Zilla Adhyaksha Mrs Phurmit Lepcha, the second Namchi Eco-tourism Awareness and Planning Workshop was held at the Panchayat Bhawan. The workshop was designed and facilitated by ECOSS. The main objective of the workshop was to sensitive the local and surrounding population of Namchi to take active steps in conserving the natural landscape and not emulate the wrong paradigms of tourism development. There was an impressive participation from local NGOs, CBOs, Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation, and local stakeholder groups of the area. Groups discussions and brainstorming sessions identified the potentials that needed to be developed in and around Namchi. Finally a resolution was passed by the motivated participants in forming the Namchi Tourism Development Society which would spearhead the concerns and developmental issues regarding tourism.

Community planning consultations for the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Conservation Program was conducted at Uttarey and Sopakha villages of West Sikkim from 16^th to 21^st January 2004. ECOSS and members of Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee conducted this planning exercises using PRA and APPA techniques. The villagers were motivated to envision alternate livelihood options and conservation programs to save the natural and cultural resources in and around the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve. Community focused action plans were developed and peoples participation and co-financing in major activities was strongly emphasized to build ownership in the village based program and activities.

ECOSS Executive Secretary made a visit to Arunachal Pradesh to build and strengthen partnership with research and developmental institutions like the G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development in the North East. This weeklong visit also gave the opportunity to meet many NGOs who are working in the North East specially in Arunachal Pradesh and the work that they have embarked upon. A workshop was attended during this visit to submit a project proposal titled “Capacity building of local communities for transfer of Appropriate Technology for Sustainable Development”.

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