Registered with Registrar of Newspapers for India vide No. 61685/93 ISSN 2320-3943 2020 | Volume No. 12, Issue 4 ENVIS SIKKIM NEWSLETTER ON FORESTS, ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE Sikkim State ENVIS Hub Publication PPAANNDDAA On Status of Environment & its Related Issues Special Edion Covid-19 Pandemic Is it linked to Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss? Look in for more … www.sikenvis.nic.in Published by SIKKIM STATE ENVIS HUB Supported by Hosted by On Status of Environment Ministry of Environment, Forests & Forest and Environment Department, (A State Government Climate Change, Government of India Government of Sikkim Autonomous Body) Since 2002 Sikkim ENVIS Hub Newsletter © 2020 SIKKIM ENVIS HUB Forest and Environment Department, Government of Sikkim Any part of the publicaon may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, provided that the same is duly cited. All efforts have been made to make the PANDA informaon shown as accurate as possible. ENVIS SIKKIM Newsleer Editorial Board Volume No 12 Issue No. 4 [2020] Shri. M. L. Srivastava, IFS P Registraon No. 61685/93 ANDA Vol. 11 2019 PUBLICATION ISSN 2320-3943 Principal Secretary –cum- PCCF Shri. Y. P. Gurung IFS, CCF (HQ) PANDA is a newsletter published by Sikkim State ENVIS Hub, Forest and Environment Department, Shri. N. W. Tamang IFS, CCF (Env.&SC/ Territorial) Government of Sikkim. This newsletter is aimed at disseminating environment, forest and wildlife Shri. B. B. Gurung, Published by: information among the public at large and is also Director (Env. & SC/ RVP/ Planning/ENVIS) envisaged to serve as a medium of communication Sikkim State ENVIS Hub among foresters and others engaged in nature Smt. Kusum Gurung, Forest and Environment conservation in the State. Free and voluntary contributions for publication in the newsletter may be Joint Director (ENVIS/ SPCB/ Sericulture) Department, sent to ENVIS. Compilaon & Design: Government of Sikkim SIKKIM STATE ENVIS HUB Mr. Rajen Pradhan, Sr. Programme Officer (ENVIS) On Status of Environment & its Related Issues Electronic version available online Forest Secretariat B - Block, ENVIS team sincerely thanks the resource Room No.B-101, Ground Floor in ENVIS Sikkim website Forest and Environment Department, Government persons and well-wishers for their of Sikkim, contribuon in this issue. hp://www.sikenvis.nic.in Deorali -737102, Gangtok Email us at:[email protected] Quarterly Newsleers of 2019-20 Visit us at : www.sikenvis.nic.in Tel (O) : 03592-280381 Fax: 03592-281778 / 280381 ENVIS TEAM Coordinator Mr. B. B. Gurung, Director of Forests (E&SC, Planning and ENVIS) Co-Coordinator Mrs. Kusum Gurung, Joint Director of Forests (ENVIS and SPCB) Apr-Jun Vol. 12, Issue 1 Jul-Sep Vol. 12, Issue 2 Oct-Dec Vol. 12, Issue 3 Sr. Programme Ofcer Mr. Rajen Pradhan Sikkim State ENVIS Hub on Status of Information Ofcer Environment publishes newsleer on quarterly Mr. Laxuman Darnal basis with the support from the Ministry of Environment, Forests& Climate Change, IT Ofcer Government of India. The fourth quarter Ms.Renu Gurung publicaon is a special annual edion tled Data Entry Operator “PANDA” which is published with the extended Ms. Tulsha Gurung support from the Forest and Environment Department, Government of Sikkim. Please login www.sikenvis.nic.in to download the e-copy Cover photo: Nyctalus noctula (Bat of Sikkim Himalaya) Photo by Aita Hang Limboo ENVIS PUBLICATION 2020 Editorial MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Humans have evolved and co-existed with Nature from Now, we do not fully comprehend the value and strength of time immemorial. In this current situation of the so-called every life form on earth, be it a miniature living cell or an ‘new normal’ amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we the invisible virus. In this special edition, we attempt to explore Humans have many things to learn from Mother Nature. It and correlate the linkages of the current pandemic with is omnipresent and will thrive in all forms and more potent climate change and loss of biodiversity. This issue also provides research and scholarly insights on the vastly rich than mere human existence. However, the opposite does Himalayan biodiversity and climate change perceptions not hold true. Humans are responsible for rationing and and adaptation strategies in Sikkim, Himalaya. safeguarding our nite natural resources for our future generations. I hope you will nd this edition informative. While we preserve ourselves in safe shelters through lockdowns, wild animals have unlocked and traversed their terrestrial perimeter. Some relief can be found in the Shri. M. L. Srivastava, IFS way the global climate has taken a snooze from the Principal Secretary -cum- PCCF ascending heap of crisis. This is but provisional. As we Forest and Environment Department resume our daily chores and inch towards business as Government of Sikkim usual, we need to administer positive climate actions to Send your comments and suggestions to mitigate the global crisis affecting humanity to alleviate the [email protected] economic inadequacies posed to us during the lockdown. [email protected] The Himalayas, North Sikkim Photo by MeleemMeleem FudongFudong LepchaLepcha nside PANDA Vol. 12 Issue 4 2020 ISSN 2320-3943 Registraon No. 61685/93 IC O V E R P A G E W H A T ' S M O R E ….. page-wise v Sikkim Forest Department bags ESRI Covid-19 India SAG Award 2020 4 Pandemic Is it linked to v RS and GIS Cell Establishment in Climate Change Forest Department 6 and Biodiversity loss? v Covid-19 Pandemic: Is it linked to Climate Change and Biodiversity loss? 8 8 v Bats in Sikkim-Darjeeling Himalaya: Bats in Sikkim-Darjeeling Research and Conservaon 20 Himalaya: Research and Conservaon v The Advent of Buerfly Watching in 20 Sikkim: 'July 2020 | Episode#1 23 v Buerfly Enthusiasts of Sikkim The Advent of Buerfly 25 Watching in Sikkim v Avian Diversity of Urban Ecosystem in 'July 2020 | Episode#1 23 Sikkim Himalaya 26 Climate Change Percepons v Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla: and Adaptaon Strategies A Long-Distance Migratory Bord of along the Teesta River Basin Sikkim, India 32 36 in the Sikkim Himalaya v Climate Change Percepons and Rapid Biodiversity Survey Adaptaon Strategies along the under SBFP (2012-2020): Teesta River Basin in the Sikkim A Concise Note on Significant Himalaya 36 60 Observaons and Analysis v Tsong Cloud Burst Green Skill Development Rescue and Relief 52 Programme: A March Toward Sustainable Development v My Musings on the Curse of through Green Skill 70 Consumer Society 54 An Overview of Pharmaceucal v Mulberry Silkworm Rearing Pracce Industries in Sikkim in Three Districts of Sikkim Himalaya 56 76 v Sikkim OCMMS – Online Consent Visit our Website for the electronic [PDF] copy: Management and Monitoring System 50 www.sikenvis.nic.in An ENVIS SIKKIM Publicaon On Status of Environment & Related Issues Forest and Environment Department, Government of Sikkim W H A T ' S M O R E ….. page-wise v Rapid Biodiversity Survey under SBFP (2012-2020): A Concise Note on Significant Observaons and Analysis 60 v Green Skill Development Programme A March Toward Sustainable Development through Green Skill 70 v An Overview of Pharmaceucal Industries in Sikkim 76 v Nepali Poem 82 v Wipro earthian Awards 2019 84 v Winning Painngs and Photographs of Online Contest 86 Photo by: Laxuman Pradhan (Courtesy: One of the entries of the open photography contest organized by Sikkim ENVIS Hub on the occasion of World Environment Day 2020) Forest and Environment Department Sikkim bags “Special Achievement in GIS” Award 2020 Forest and Environment Department, Government of Sikkim decades and helping various state and national agency was feted with ESRI India “Special Achievement in GIS implementing projects by sharing GIS data. (SAG)” Award 2020 during the virtual ESRI UC India LIVE Forest department is using enterprise GIS platform funded by award ceremony held on July 15, 2020 from 4.15 pm onward. JICA assisted Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation and Forest SAG awards recognize users who have applied geospatial Management Project (SBFP) extensively and capabilities are technology innovatively to address the needs of their also being strengthened across the state of Sikkim. The industries and communities, dening GIS best practices. This platform provides an interoperable environment to various award to Forest and Environment Department, Government divisions to create a profound database and access and of Sikkim is the result of exemplary work done in the analyze data and information relevant for their function and implementation of an enterprise GIS system for forest requirements. management for the entire state of Sikkim. The virtual ESRI UC India LIVE conference was also hosted from July 14-16, JICA assisted Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation & Forest 2020, 2 pm IST onward with the theme “GIS - Interconnecting Management Project (SBFP) has been helping since 2012 Our World”. for developing human resource and infrastructural development for the overall Geo-Spatial development in the The use of Geographic Information System (GIS) has ooded Forest & Environment Department. almost every eld in the engineering, natural and social sciences, offering accurate, efcient, reproducible methods Forest department has developed many useful applications for collecting, viewing and analyzing spatial data. Forests are using GIS technology, some of which are rst of their kind in important renewable natural resources and have a signicant the country. SCIMS (Sikkim Climate Change Inventory & role in preserving an environment suitable for human life. In Monitoring System) with strong GIS input is one such addition to timber, forests provide such resources as wildlife initiative that is operational. Similarly, GIS platform is being habitat, water resources and recreation areas. Forestry used extensively for preparation of integrated wildlife management plans, man-animal conict mitigation involves management of broad range of natural resources interventions, Environment Information System (ENVIS), within a forested area.