Activities and Events 2003

Due to the growing interest of tourism development in and around Namchi, it was felt that a sensitization program needed to be conducted to facilitate the residents of Namchi to emulate the right paradigms of tourism development. In association with the local residents the Namchi Eco-tourism Awareness and Planning workshop was organized on 9^th December 2003 at the Panchayat Bhawan. The turn out to the workshop was very poor as participants could not be mobilized. Hence again with collaboration with SIRD and the Zilla Panchayat a second workshop date was finalized.

A training program was held at Yuksam on Appreciative Participatory Planning and Action (APPA) from 27^th to 29^th December 2003. The course was designed and facilitated by ECOSS in association with Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee of Yuksam. The skills training was being imparted to resident communities and village level facilitators residing around the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (KBR) who are involved in the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Conservation Program.

Mr. Jim Ratcliffe, an American national volunteered to work with ECOSS in assisting to develop Environmental Education manuals and study materials. He made an assessment of the different Schools in East, West and North Sikkim and interacted with the school teachers to understand more about the education system in Sikkim. During his visit he also sampled the homestays that ECOSS was developing in rural villages and gave very constructive feedback for improving the facilities and the overall village tourism product. In a joint effort with ECOSS contacts were made with the Education Department to work in the ongoing revision and greening of the text books of government schools. Sample environmental education manuals have been developed which are available at the ECOSS office.

To identify the existing potential village tourism products in Sikkim and to begin in developing a market linkage, ECOSS in collaboration with a Mr. Sanjeev Pradhan and team visited various sites in East South and West Sikkim from 10^th to 15^th November 2003. A debriefing session was held to get views and comments from experts and a report has been compiled from the visit experience. Report is available at the ECOSS Secretariat.

ECOSS organized a seminar for the Planning Commission to give the team a glimpse of the activities being carried out by the Non Government Organizations in Sikkim. Key organizations and institutions working in the different developmental sectors across Sikkim were invited and made to give brief presentations. The objective of this exercise was to give the planning commission an idea of how effectively the NGOs and CBOs were working in different parts of Sikkim and how their work could fit into the government plans and projects. The presentations of the different institutions were well received and NGOs were encouraged to continue the good work in their respective field. Individual interactions that followed after the presentations with the Planning Commission team members gave an opportunity to understand the development priorities and the concerns of the government on developmental issues.

United States - Environmental Resource Centre (US-ERC) organized a workshop on Ecotourism in September end at Mumbai. The target sector for the workshop included tour operators, promoters, hospitality industry and various tourism departments including NGOs involved in the field of tourism development. Mr. P.D. Rai, Chairman ECOSS attended the two-day Eco-tourism workshop and made a presentation on Ecotourism as a vehicle for Conservation and Community Development”. Contacts were also made with the Bombay Natural History Society and ECOSS became a registered member of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS.)

Homestays and Guides Training program was conducted simultaneously by ECOSS from 11^th – 14^th September 2003 at Namprikdang and Tingvong, Upper Dzongu (North Sikkim). There were 12 participants for Homestays and 10 participants for Guides training who took active participation in the program. The main objective of the training was to improve the skills of the Guides and Homestays operators and impart basic knowledge on efficient Homestays and Guide service operations. The overall training focused on equipping the tourism service providers in adopting environmentally responsible tourism practices. The program was a success as participants found the training very useful and helpful.

Field visits were made to Kopche near Rhenock during the first two weeks of September 2003 to address the problem of garbage management at the pilgrimage site. Efforts were made to sensitize the local clubs to take proactive steps to manage the sanitation and garbage problem. ECOSS worked with the local youths and organizations by identifying activities and providing small community grants to address the growing environmental problem at the sites.

During the third week of September ECOSS and Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee members jointly introduced the Khangchendzonga transboundary conservation project to community members at project sites in Yuksam. The broad goals and objectives of the program were introduced and the role of Joint Forest management and Eco-development Committees and other community-based organizations in the project were highlighted.

17 Participants from Phobjika, Bhutan were on a study tour from 15^th to 29^th August 2003 to Sikkim which was facilitated by ECOSS. Participants visited Yuksam to see the tourism sites, locations and infrastructure for supporting tourism. The focus of the group was to learn about tourism, conservation and institutional issues and understand the dynamics of eco-tourism development. They had fruitful interactions with the local communities and the local institutions that were involved in tourism development in West Sikkim.

Guides, Cooks and Porters training was organized by Sikkim Development Foundation in collaboration with TAAS and other NGOs including ECOSS in Uttaray from 22^nd to 23^rd October 2003. ECOSS resource person was also part of the training faculty present to impart conduct sensitization and awareness for the local tourism stakeholder groups on tourism services. The response from the local people was overwhelming.

ICIMOD conducted a consultation workshop in Darjeeling on 8^th & 9^th July 2003. The workshop was to introduce the Biological Corridor Conservation Project designed by ICIMOD to local stakeholder groups and solicit their ideas and comments for implementing the program. ECOSS and KCC from Yuksam were invited as observers. Similar consultations would be held in Nepal as well as in Bhutan as the corridors would link all the three countries. The main goals of these consultations are to research the feasibility of establishing corridors for conservation between different protected areas within the Khangchendzonga landscape, and at the same time promote developmental opportunities for local people living in the area. Different livelihood issues revolving around conservation were identified and documented which would be addressed in the project activities.

Training on Rural Tourism was organized for the next batch of participants from Nagaland. A total of 27 participants arrived for the next course that was held from 19^th July to 2^nd August 2003. The first week was spent on theoretical sessions in Gangtok

while the second week participants were taken to Pastanga in East Sikkim, Dzongu in North Sikkim and Kewzing in South Sikkim to see the village tourism initiatives at the three sites. Comparative analyses of the sites were made and lessons summarized for the participants. Different village tourism products were identified and the packaging and marketing aspects of these products were discussed and deliberated. Participants thoroughly enjoyed the training and the trainees have returned with fond memories of Sikkim. They have immensely enjoyed the peace and tranquility and the bountiful gifts of Mother Nature of Sikkim.

On 2^nd June 2003 Mr. Dominik Bullard, and Roberto Munez a German and Gautamelan Volunteer respectively approached ECOSS to work on voluntary basis on community development project. ECOSS assigned them to work on community tourism sensitization and mobilization in Pastanga village in collaboration with Khedi Eco-tourism & Eco-development Promotion (KEEP). Both volunteers worked for a month with villagers to develop eco-tourism guidelines and provide feedback on tourism services provided in the village. The volunteers submitted their findings and recommendations of their work in the village. Report is available on request at the ECOSS Secretariat.

A final stakeholders consultation workshop related with the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Medicinal Plants (CSUMPS) Project was held at the Forest Secretariat at Deorali on 7^th June 2003. This project was a joint initiative of FRLHT and the Forest Department Government of Sikkim in collaboration with NGOs and CBOs of Sikkim. ECOSS was one of the key partners associated with this project. The final consultation workshop presented the key findings of the initiative and participants provided inputs for the next steps. Local community elders and leaders were invited from all the potential sites of Sikkim. ECOSS was involved in facilitating the strategic action planning part of the workshop to solicit ideas commitments from participants in the workshop.

An Adventure Tourism Guides Training course was conducted from 22^nd June to 6^th July 2003 for participants from Nagaland. This course was sponsored by the Department of Tourism, Government of Nagaland. The two weeks comprehensive course was designed and conducted by ECOSS. During the course participants had a first hand experience of adventure tourism practical exercises as well as theoretical sessions while in Gangtok. Outdoor sessions focused on rock climbing, rafting and field visits to National Park areas. They also visited various adventure tourism sites in East and West Sikkim. Field observations and interactions with various local resource persons and community organizations greatly enriched the participant’s knowledge and experience and made them return with memorable impressions of Sikkim.

The 3^rd Annual General Meeting was held at Gangtok on 24^th May 2003. This was an opportunity to reflect on the past achievements and get together of members to discuss future course of action. ECOSS Annual Report for the year 2002 – 2003 and brochure was released and distributed to all members. A summary of the account statement for the year 2002 – 2003 was also presented along with the budget for the coming year.


Chief Ministers Self-Employment Scheme (CMSES) training on Entrepreneurial Development Program was conducted at Gyalshing from 26^th – 31 May 2003. ECOSS services was contracted for this assignment by the Government of Sikkim. Twenty-five participants Young Entrepreneurs of West Sikkim attended the six days comprehensive training conducted by ECOSS staff and partners. The training consultancy was given by SIDICO.

Conducted the community consultation workshop related with Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Medicinal Plant in Sikkim (CSUMPS) at Namprikdang on 11^th April 2003 in Dzongu North Sikkim. The main objective of the workshop was to sensitize the local people about the importance of our natural wealth and document the different medicinal plants and its local therapeutic uses. Conservation issues related with medicinal plants were also identified and discussions were also held as to how such products could be of tourism value. The youth and children who had gathered were also engaged in an environmental education program.

The community consultation workshop and meeting on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Medicinal Plant in Sikkim (CSUMPS) for East Sikkim was held at Rongli bazaar on 12^th April 2003 with a main focus on the Nepali Pradhan community. Medicinal plants practitioners and local gentry were invited from the surrounding areas, which was fairly in large numbers. The purpose was to sensitize, document and identify the potential of medicinal plants in this area so that a project could be developed to address the sustainable utilization, conservation and value addition for income generation to local people. These consultations were done in collaboration with the Forest Environment and Wildlife Department.


A Training of Trainers program was held in Almaty Kazakhstan from 25^th to 29^th April 2003. The program was organized by the Kazakhstan Mountaineering Foundation and training was attended by Executive Secretary Eco-tourism and Conservation Society of Sikkim. This training was aimed at imparting participatory skills and incorporating techniques of experiential learning to make the training more interactive. Participants included professional trainers, members of Kazakhstan Mountaineering Foundation (KMF), school teachers involved in adventure tourism training and professional mountain climbers now serving as mountaineering instructors.

A planning meeting was organized in Dzongu to decide in choosing pilot sites for the implementation of the ecotourism project. The GERES representative Mr. Norbert Trehoux along with assistance of ECOSS jointly facilitated the meeting. A draft ecotourism map was prepared and discussed and later two pilot sites were identified. Tingvong (upper Dzongu) and Mangtiang (lower Dzongu) was unanimously selected as the two pilot sites to initiate the project. An action plan was formulated to be implemented over a period of six months. ECOSS would be implementing some of the skill development training programs.

Field based Participatory Rural Appraisal training program was conducted for the Forest Department officers from 12^th to 14^th Feb 2003 in Dentam village. The Forest Department is implementing the FDA Project for which such skills and techniques form an important component. The training program was conducted along with local communities and the whole exercise was interactive and fun to learn from field based work..

ECOSS services were hired to conduct a four days training program for the local guides of Ravangla from 16^th to 19^th January 2003. The program was sponsored by Sikkim Development Foundation. The main objective of the training program was to improve the skills of the guides, and impart basic knowledge on interpretation of flora and fauna, monasteries and bird watching and develop responsible tourism practices. There was two days of intensive classes while the other two days was field based activities. The overall program was a success as participants found the training program very useful.

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