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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/sikkim/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:09:04 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
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					<title>Rare lynx photo puts spotlight on high-altitude rangelands</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/rare-lynx-photo-puts-spotlight-on-high-altitude-rangelands/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/rare-lynx-photo-puts-spotlight-on-high-altitude-rangelands/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Aug 2026 15:20:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carnivores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eastern himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eurasian lynx]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sikkim Himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow leopard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow leopards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tibetan plateau]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wolf]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/04131014/Eurasian-lynx-1-Sikkim-Forest-Dept-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39845</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Camera traps, Cats, Conservation, Ecology, Endangered species, Himalayas, In-situ conservation, Mountains, Photos, Positive Environmental, Technology and Conservation, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A Eurasian lynx has been recorded in a camera-trap image from the Tso Lhamo plateau in Sikkim. This encounter marks the first confirmed photographic evidence of the species in the state. It is also the second such record from the Eastern Himalayas. The image, captured in January 2026 at an altitude of 5,250 metres in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A Eurasian lynx has been recorded in a camera-trap image from the Tso Lhamo plateau in Sikkim. This encounter marks the first confirmed photographic evidence of the species in the state. It is also the second such record from the Eastern Himalayas. The image, captured in January 2026 at an altitude of 5,250 metres in Mangan district, shows the animal moving across a rocky, sparsely vegetated high-altitude slope. The sighting comes from a long-term snow leopard and rangeland monitoring programme led by the Sikkim forest department and WWF-India. The initiative tracks snow leopards and associated wildlife while studying the ecological condition of the trans-Himalayan rangelands. The Sikkim record follows a 2025 photographic documentation of a Eurasian lynx in Arunachal Pradesh during a joint survey by WWF-India and the Arunachal Pradesh forest department. “It highlights the ecological significance of our high-altitude rangelands and reinforces our commitment to protecting these fragile ecosystems. The cooperation of the Lachen Dzumsa (traditional local self-governance body) in facilitating access to these remote areas has been important to this work,” Sikkim’s Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Udai Gurung, said in a press note. At the Tso Lhamo plateau in Sikkim, researchers captured camera-trap images of a Eurasian lynx, along with several other elusive species. High-altitude rangelands like this region have wrongly been dismissed as barren deserts of little ecological value. Image courtesy of Forest &amp; Environment Department, Sikkim, and WWF-India. The images are part of a long-term snow leopard and trans-Himalayan rangeland monitoring programme. Image courtesy of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/rare-lynx-photo-puts-spotlight-on-high-altitude-rangelands/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Overlooked urban springs can strengthen water security in Himalayan cities [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 May 2026 12:57:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Niharika BindalSailendra Dewan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drought]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[droughts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[piped water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Springs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban area]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban water crisis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wetlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water crisis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/11095320/Photo_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38093</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Environment, Himalayas, Mountains, Water, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the winter between November 2025 and February 2026, Gangtok faced a crisis it could not ignore. After September 2025, rainfall almost completely stopped, and the city’s main water source, the Ratey Chu River, saw its discharge drop by nearly 50%. The Public Health Engineering Department, Government of Sikkim, issued a public notification on February [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the winter between November 2025 and February 2026, Gangtok faced a crisis it could not ignore. After September 2025, rainfall almost completely stopped, and the city’s main water source, the Ratey Chu River, saw its discharge drop by nearly 50%. The Public Health Engineering Department, Government of Sikkim, issued a public notification on February 11, 2026, rationing municipal water to once a day and issuing repeated warnings against wasting water. Five months later in April 2026, the crisis, though somewhat resolved, still persists. Gangtok’s centralised water system has always been vulnerable. When monsoon landslides damage intake pipelines or winter droughts shrink rivers, supply collapses quickly. Additionally, Gangtok’s water system was under increasing strain due to population growth, rising tourist inflow, and rapid urban expansion. Yet as the formal water infrastructure struggles, another water network has quietly supported the residents of Gangtok. Gangtok’s freshwater springs (locally known as dharas), continue to function as a parallel source of water. Far from being used only during crises, these springs remain part of everyday urban life. Emerging from underground aquifer networks beneath the town, these springs form an invisible yet resilient water system that sustains residents long before and long after crises emerge. A natural spring or dhara in Bojoghari, Gangtok, harnessed through a plastic pipe and traditional bamboo outlet that have been fitted together. Image by Niharika Bindal. A city-wide assessment conducted by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment across all 19 municipal wards identified 56 springs in Gangtok.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Ancient glaciers reveal the roots of antimicrobial resistance</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ancient-glaciers-reveal-the-roots-of-antimicrobial-resistance/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ancient-glaciers-reveal-the-roots-of-antimicrobial-resistance/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Apr 2026 12:21:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nupur Fangaria]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antimicrobial resistance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disease]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment and health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medicine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[micro-organisms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/21111324/Glacial_melt_water_carving_the_ice_river_source_Himalayas_India-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37771</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Glaciers, Health impacts, Himalayas, Mountains, and Pandemics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Ancient ice from glaciers and permafrost reveals that antimicrobial resistance is not just fuelled by the overuse of antibiotics. Microorganisms and free DNA, that have been preserved for thousands, even millions, of years, beneath the layers of ancient glacier ice, have been found to carry antimicrobial resistance genes. This suggests that resistance may, in fact, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Ancient ice from glaciers and permafrost reveals that antimicrobial resistance is not just fuelled by the overuse of antibiotics. Microorganisms and free DNA, that have been preserved for thousands, even millions, of years, beneath the layers of ancient glacier ice, have been found to carry antimicrobial resistance genes. This suggests that resistance may, in fact, be an ancient biological trait. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the resistance microorganisms develop to antibiotics, has been classified as one of the top 10 global public health threats. According to the WHO, antimicrobial resistance accounted for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019. In fact, the United Nations termed it a ‘silent pandemic’ and noted that the leading cause of antimicrobial resistance is the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. However, various studies have unearthed evidence that challenges whether antimicrobial resistance is truly a modern problem. An ancient trait About 20% of the Earth’s surface is covered with ice. This includes the polar ice caps, glaciers in high-altitude regions, and permafrost. The Kabru mountain peak makes up a part of it. Extending south from Kanchenjunga, it is part of the Himalayan range in Sikkim. In 1883, after a mountaineering expedition, the English barrister William Graham described Kabru as &#8220;little more than a pillar of ice&#8221;. Nagendra Thakur, as part of a team of researchers from Sikkim University, extracted and studied 1.5-metre ice cores from the Kabru glacier at different levels. In these samples, collected in 2021, they found a rich, diverse microbial population in the glacier that became&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ancient-glaciers-reveal-the-roots-of-antimicrobial-resistance/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ancient-glaciers-reveal-the-roots-of-antimicrobial-resistance/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Market gaps reshape farming and economy in the mountains [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/market-gaps-reshape-farming-and-economy-in-the-mountains-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/market-gaps-reshape-farming-and-economy-in-the-mountains-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Jan 2026 15:38:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Srijana Sharma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eastern himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indigenous knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/08124755/Raddish-Harvest-scaled-e1767863662603-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36393</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Knowledge]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Himalayas, Human Wildlife Conflict, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, and Tribes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Market access plays a decisive role in shaping agrarian livelihoods in the fragile mountain economies of the Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas. In regions marked by difficult terrain, limited infrastructure, and climate uncertainty, the ability to reach markets often determines whether farming remains viable. Declining engagement with agriculture affects not only household incomes, but also food [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Market access plays a decisive role in shaping agrarian livelihoods in the fragile mountain economies of the Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas. In regions marked by difficult terrain, limited infrastructure, and climate uncertainty, the ability to reach markets often determines whether farming remains viable. Declining engagement with agriculture affects not only household incomes, but also food security, agrobiodiversity, and traditional farming knowledge across the Eastern Himalaya. During my research on how seasonal produce, local markets, and informal trade networks influence income stability among small and marginal farmers, it became evident that market accessibility is not merely about physical proximity to mandis. Rather, it hinges on the quality, fairness, and reliability of market linkages. While local communities show remarkable adaptability through seasonal trade and informal markets, shrinking economic returns are steadily pushing many farmers away from agriculture. Collective action and value addition Travelling from Sikkim to North Bengal offers clear evidence of this adaptability. Across hilly landscapes, farmer communities are experimenting with collective action and value addition to strengthen livelihoods. Over the past two years of field visits focused on agricultural systems, human–wildlife conflict mitigation, government schemes, and market linkages, I observed villages producing a range of value-added goods — bamboo shoots, red cherry (Dalle khursani) chilli paste, pickles, honey, clarified butter, and locally-crafted woven products, particularly in areas such as Yuksom in West Sikkim. Some communities have developed homestays to tap into tourism, selling fresh produce directly to visitors and turning agriculture into an experiential economy. A few tech-savvy farmers have&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/market-gaps-reshape-farming-and-economy-in-the-mountains-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/market-gaps-reshape-farming-and-economy-in-the-mountains-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>In search of degraded forests for restoration [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/in-search-of-degraded-forests-for-restoration-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/in-search-of-degraded-forests-for-restoration-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Sep 2025 13:14:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditya Pradhan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fragmentation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat degradation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restoration]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/29113924/Image-3-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34810</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Forests, Himalayas, Indigenous Peoples, and Mountains]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The United Nations has declared 2021-2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global call to revive the planet’s degraded landscapes. The aim is ambitious but essential: prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide. This call comes at a time when the planet is facing accelerating biodiversity loss, erratic climate patterns, and growing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The United Nations has declared 2021-2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global call to revive the planet’s degraded landscapes. The aim is ambitious but essential: prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide. This call comes at a time when the planet is facing accelerating biodiversity loss, erratic climate patterns, and growing inequities in how natural resources are accessed and managed. Restoration is now viewed not only as an environmental necessity, but also as a social and economic imperative for a more resilient future. The idea of restoring forests sounds simple: find a patch of degraded land, plant native trees, and let nature do the rest. But in the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya, where ecological urgency meets complex social realities, restoration is not a matter of digging pits and planting saplings. It is a deeply layered process, one that unfolds across social boundaries, cultural landscapes, steep slopes, and shifting community priorities. In the past year, a team at ATREE-Eastern Himalaya set out to restore degraded patches across this fragile mountain ecosystem and came face to face with a reality far more intricate than any textbook could prepare it for. Finding land to restore Ironically, the hardest part of restoring forests is not the planting — it’s finding land to plant on. At first glance, the Eastern Himalaya seems to have plenty of degraded patches. But on closer inspection, these barren or underused lands are often being rapidly converted to other land uses including tourism infrastructure. With the recent boom&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/in-search-of-degraded-forests-for-restoration-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Pastoral grief in the high Himalayan rangelands [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/pastoral-grief-in-the-high-himalayan-rangelands-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/pastoral-grief-in-the-high-himalayan-rangelands-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Sep 2025 15:44:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Pema Yangden Lepcha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eastern himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grazing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow leopard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yak]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/24143705/uploads_68d3b499b73f53.12531132_recov_image00000-scaled-e1758705293972-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34763</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, and Human Wildlife Conflict]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[North Sikkim’s alpine rangelands have for generations sustained both the Lachung and Lachen villages, along with the elusive snow leopard, often called the mountain ghost. In this stunning yet harsh ecosystem, yak herders and snow leopards (Panthera uncia) have long adapted to its rigours. Today, however, both face mounting challenges — from the erosion of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[North Sikkim’s alpine rangelands have for generations sustained both the Lachung and Lachen villages, along with the elusive snow leopard, often called the mountain ghost. In this stunning yet harsh ecosystem, yak herders and snow leopards (Panthera uncia) have long adapted to its rigours. Today, however, both face mounting challenges — from the erosion of herding traditions to the impacts of climate change and the rise in human-predator encounters. Globally, the snow leopard symbolises hope and commitment towards preserving Himalayan biodiversity. Yet, for the herders sharing the landscape with these majestic cats, the predator’s presence often results in fear, frustration, and a threat to their livelihoods. Yak herders and snow leopards share these high rangelands of Lachung in North Sikkim. It is a landscape shaped by tradition, loss, and the challenge of coexistence. Image by Pema Yangden Lepcha. Conservation programmes like the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program emphasise balancing the protection of apex predators with the sustainability of pastoral livelihoods. This balance, however, remains precarious. While snow leopards are celebrated globally, local herding communities often view them through the lens of livestock loss and economic hardship. A loss in Yumesamdong During a recent visit to Yumesamdong, a valley in North Sikkim, I witnessed an intimate moment of grief and resilience between a herder and his yak. A one-year-old yak calf had been killed, most likely by a snow leopard. As someone working in snow leopard conservation, I accompanied the herder to document the incident, expecting to find a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/pastoral-grief-in-the-high-himalayan-rangelands-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Assessment of Sikkim flood impact shows damage to fish habitats</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/07/assessment-of-sikkim-flood-impact-shows-damage-to-fish-habitats/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/07/assessment-of-sikkim-flood-impact-shows-damage-to-fish-habitats/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jul 2025 16:01:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fish population]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freshwater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teesta River]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/07/17134557/Fishermen_in_Teesta_river_Gaibandha_district-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=33653</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fish, Fishing, Floods, Glacial Lake Outburst Flood, Himalayas, and Rivers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new study published by researchers from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) reveals the extent of damage caused by the 2023 glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in Sikkim, noting significant changes in water depth, quality, and floodplain structure since the deluge. The GLOF in October 2023 destroyed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new study published by researchers from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) reveals the extent of damage caused by the 2023 glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in Sikkim, noting significant changes in water depth, quality, and floodplain structure since the deluge. The GLOF in October 2023 destroyed a 1,200-megawatt hydropower project and killed 55 people as it came cascading down, marking one of the worst disasters the northeastern Himalayan state had seen in recent times. While several assessments capturing the extent of damage to the state’s infrastructure exist, only a few studies have evaluated the ecological damages borne by the river. The ICAR-NBFGR study, published in the journal Ecohydrology in May, compared the health of the river pre- and post-flood, looking specifically at parameters such as deep pool habitats, water turbidity, and provision of ecosystem services. “We had an ongoing study to capture the diversity of the Teesta basin when the flood occurred, which is why we were able to compare parameters before and after the flood happened,” said Rejani Chandran, a senior scientist at ICAR-NBFGR and an author of the study. Trout in the Himalayas. Following a disastrous glacial lake outburst flood in October 2023, several assessments captured the damage to the state’s infrastructure, whereas only a few studies evaluated the ecological damages borne by the Teesta river. Representative image by Acred99 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Sujith V. Gopalan, an independent conservation biologist who was not involved with the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/07/assessment-of-sikkim-flood-impact-shows-damage-to-fish-habitats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Disinvestment from dam challenged in court in fragile Himalayan state</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/03/disinvestment-from-dam-challenged-in-court-in-fragile-himalayan-state/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/03/disinvestment-from-dam-challenged-in-court-in-fragile-himalayan-state/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Mar 2025 13:30:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hydropower]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Just Transition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teesta III HEP]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/02/06120321/Lower_Dam_III_across_Teesta_River_AJTJ_P1110122-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31788</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Hydroelectric power, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Weeks after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Sikkim cadre opposed an expert body’s approval to rebuild the Teesta III hydropower project in the state, a member of the state cadre has now moved court, challenging the decision to hand over the beleaguered project to renewable energy company Greenko. The dam was destroyed by a glacial lake [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Weeks after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Sikkim cadre opposed an expert body’s approval to rebuild the Teesta III hydropower project in the state, a member of the state cadre has now moved court, challenging the decision to hand over the beleaguered project to renewable energy company Greenko. The dam was destroyed by a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in October 2023 but is proposed to be rebuilt in the fragile Himalayan state, despite several environmental risks. A writ petition was filed by the BJP’s state Chief Advisor, Tseten Tashi Bhutia, in the Sikkim High Court on February 24, contesting the cabinet’s decision to disinvest its stake in Sikkim Urja Limited (SUL), the public sector company that was operating the dam. The decision to sell the government’s stake to Greenko “is arbitrary, un-reasonable and in gross violation of law,” says the petition, a copy of which was obtained by Mongabay India. The approval by the centrally-appointed Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) to rebuild the Teesta III HEP came months after the acquisition by Greenko was accepted by the Competition Commission of India. The EAC gave its nod to rebuild the dam on January 10 this year. Both the state’s disinvestment from the project, and subsequent approval to rebuild the dam has been met with outrage by activists and politicians. The BJP state cadre wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, urging him to suspend all clearances for the project till further environmental studies were done to support its viability. “We’re not&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/03/disinvestment-from-dam-challenged-in-court-in-fragile-himalayan-state/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Political stir follows expert panel&#8217;s approval to rebuild Teesta dam in Sikkim</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/political-stir-follows-expert-panels-approval-to-rebuild-teesta-dam-in-sikkim/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/political-stir-follows-expert-panels-approval-to-rebuild-teesta-dam-in-sikkim/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Feb 2025 14:44:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hydroelectric Power]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hydropower]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Political parties]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/02/06121747/7742751410_0beeb6225e_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31375</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Dams, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Floods, Glacial Lake Outburst Flood, Hydroelectric power, Mountains, and Rivers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In an unusually discordant move, the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Sikkim cadre wrote a letter to the Prime Minister on February 2, urging the Union government to withhold its approval to rebuild the Teesta III Hydro Electric Project dam, which was destroyed in a deluge over a year ago and the impacts [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In an unusually discordant move, the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Sikkim cadre wrote a letter to the Prime Minister on February 2, urging the Union government to withhold its approval to rebuild the Teesta III Hydro Electric Project dam, which was destroyed in a deluge over a year ago and the impacts of which continue to be felt in the state. “The people of Sikkim deeply value your commitment to environmental conservation and disaster resilience. The Teesta river is the lifeline of Sikkim, and any decision regarding hydropower infrastructure must be based on the scientific data, risk assessments, and inclusive public participation,” the letter, signed by the state party President D.R. Thapa, reads. The letter’s urgency was brought on by the fact that only a few weeks prior, a centrally-appointed Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) approved plans to rebuild the dam just 14 months after it was swept away. The final approval is granted by the Union Environment Ministry, generally on the recommendation of the EAC. In October 2023, a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) originating from the South Lhonak glacial lake destroyed the 1200-megawatt Teesta III Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in minutes, killing 55 people along the way and displacing 7,025 others. The destruction was described as one of the worst disasters the Himalayan state had ever seen and spotlighted the need to account for the region’s fragile ecology. Both environmental experts and opposition parties in the state have raised concerns about the project’s renewed approval for&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/political-stir-follows-expert-panels-approval-to-rebuild-teesta-dam-in-sikkim/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Commentary] Living territory of Lachung</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/commentary-living-territory-of-lachungs/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/commentary-living-territory-of-lachungs/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Jul 2024 12:10:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shrishtee Bajpai]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[humans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mountains]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[respect]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[river]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self rule]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/07/16082420/Ibisbill-along-Lachung-chu-river-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=28577</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Knowledge]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Conservation, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, and Protected Areas]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Standing beneath the towering 300-400-year-old Tsuga dumosa, commonly known as the Himalayan hemlock, silhouetted against the bold, black mountain range, I felt humbled to have touched that giant being. The Talung river flowed along the valley, gushing over boulders and between rocky ridges, lacing the mountainsides. Cascading down, Talung meets the mighty Teesta River. We [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Standing beneath the towering 300-400-year-old Tsuga dumosa, commonly known as the Himalayan hemlock, silhouetted against the bold, black mountain range, I felt humbled to have touched that giant being. The Talung river flowed along the valley, gushing over boulders and between rocky ridges, lacing the mountainsides. Cascading down, Talung meets the mighty Teesta River. We are at Chu Chowa, a sacred natural site of about 6 sq km in the Lachung village in north Sikkim. For the Lachungpas (also known as the Bhutia tribe), the inhabitants of the Lachung village, Chu Chowa is a guardian deity. A community conserved area, Chu Chowa boasts of silver birch, temperate silver fir, Rhododendron, and a hemlock forest with many species of birds, wild vegetables, fruits, and medicinal plants. It is also home to mammal species like red panda and musk deer. “You are the first outsider to enter here,” says Hishey Lachungpa, a river activist from the village Lachung. As I looked up at a mountain in Chu Chowa he was pointing at, I felt my soul expand. Indigenous community living The Lachungpas have been protecting that landscape for generations in obeisance to Chu Chowa. There are strict rules here; a total ban on cutting trees, hunting as well as trespassing. They also perform regular ceremonies to appease the guardian deity as well as numerous other deities they believe in. A mountain in Chu Chowa, a sacred site considered the guardian deity of the Lachungpas. The community&#8217;s obeisance to Chu Chowa has protected&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/commentary-living-territory-of-lachungs/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Otters face heat from smugglers in northeast India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/otters-face-heat-from-smugglers-in-northeast-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/otters-face-heat-from-smugglers-in-northeast-india/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jul 2024 13:33:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga National Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manas National Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Otters]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/07/02130732/Smooth-coated_otter_Vandalur_Zoo-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=28365</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, India, and Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Environmental Crime, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On May 23, in a joint operation carried out by the sleuths of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) along with Dhemaji forest department, four otter skins were seized from a man at Jonai in Dhemaji district of Assam. While seizure of otter parts is not very common, this recent incident highlighted the fact that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On May 23, in a joint operation carried out by the sleuths of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) along with Dhemaji forest department, four otter skins were seized from a man at Jonai in Dhemaji district of Assam. While seizure of otter parts is not very common, this recent incident highlighted the fact that smuggling and poaching of otters for their skin and other body parts is taking place in northeast India. Otters are carnivorous mammals belonging to the Mustelidae family which includes weasels, badgers, minks etc. They are one of the top predators found in river ecosystems across the country. Out of the 13 otter species found globally, three are found in India – the Eurasian otter, smooth-coated otter and small-clawed otter. Speaking about the raid in Assam, Dibakar Mahanta, a forest official from Dhemaji forest department told Mongabay-India, “We received a tip-off about a person hailing from East Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh, carrying a few otter skins. Based on that lead, we nabbed him from the Nepalibasti area of Jonai, a subdivision in Dhemaji. He said he is just a carrier and his job was to transport these skins to another person in Gogamukh. He said he is unaware about the route ahead.” The otter skins seized by forest department and WCCB from the raid at Jonai. Photo by Dibakar Mahanta. International demand fuels illegal trade Authorities say they believe that the skins seized are at least a year old. A WCCB official involved in the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/otters-face-heat-from-smugglers-in-northeast-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Explainer] What is the Sixth Schedule? Why is Ladakh demanding to be brought under it?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/05/what-is-the-sixth-schedule-why-is-ladakh-demanding-to-be-brought-under-it/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/05/what-is-the-sixth-schedule-why-is-ladakh-demanding-to-be-brought-under-it/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 May 2024 15:53:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[compensatory afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Constitution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fifth schedule]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous Peoples]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ladakh]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[people]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sixth schedule]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tribal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tribal communities]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/05/17152342/Ladakh-Banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=27814</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Environment Explained]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, India, Ladakh, Nagaland, and Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Indigenous Peoples, and People]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On May 10, after 66 days of protests, demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule-status for Ladakh, the protestors suspended their “climate fast” for the upcoming polls on May 20. The protestors plan to continue their hunger strike, after a new government is formed in early June, with the goal of bringing attention to their demand for [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[On May 10, after 66 days of protests, demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule-status for Ladakh, the protestors suspended their “climate fast” for the upcoming polls on May 20. The protestors plan to continue their hunger strike, after a new government is formed in early June, with the goal of bringing attention to their demand for legislation to protect Ladakh’s environment and culture. Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, who is leading the protests, told Mongabay-India, &#8220;We hope not, but if needed, I will embark on another 21-day fast alongside thousands of youths to advocate for safeguards for nature and culture under the Sixth Schedule.&#8221; Wangchuk began this 21-day hunger strike on March 6, terming it a “climate fast”. Since then, several others have joined in the protest. Wangchuk says the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised to bring the union territory of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, twice. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP listed implementation of the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh as one of its top three priorities in its manifesto for Ladakh. The same promise was made ahead of the 2020 local elections for the Hill Development Council in Ladakh, which was won by the BJP. “People supported them based on this (promise of Sixth Schedule provisions in Ladakh), and they were able to form a government. However, they forgot this when they came into power. After some ten rounds of meetings, the central government refused to bring Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule in March and then people decided&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/05/what-is-the-sixth-schedule-why-is-ladakh-demanding-to-be-brought-under-it/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>No early warning system and insufficient dam safety turned Sikkim flood deadly</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/10/no-early-warning-system-and-insufficient-dam-safety-turned-sikkim-flood-deadly/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/10/no-early-warning-system-and-insufficient-dam-safety-turned-sikkim-flood-deadly/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Oct 2023 14:25:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Glacial Lake Outburst Flood]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/10/09134226/F7qg1D7aAAAWu_i-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=24780</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy and Flood and drought]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Floods and Glacial Lake Outburst Flood]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every year, September 18 is observed as a day of disaster risk reduction in Sikkim, in remembrance of the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that shook the state in 2011. This year was no different, with a focus on preparedness should a flood come cascading down the mighty Teesta river. And yet, when a few weeks later [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Every year, September 18 is observed as a day of disaster risk reduction in Sikkim, in remembrance of the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that shook the state in 2011. This year was no different, with a focus on preparedness should a flood come cascading down the mighty Teesta river. And yet, when a few weeks later it did, the state and dam authorities did not anticipate the scale of the disaster – among the worst flood events to have ever taken place since 1968 – proving its preparedness efforts to be too incremental. In the early hours of October 4, the glacier-fed South Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim breached, causing a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) that destroyed the state’s largest hydropower plant and left at least 35 people dead and around 104 missing as on October 9.  “Even though we’ve studied the possibility of this occurring, I was numb with shock when I first heard the news,” said Ashim Sattar, a researcher with the Divecha Centre for Climate Change at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, who projected a GLOF would occur at the lake in a 2021 modeling study. Scientists and citizens affected by the damming of the Teesta river have warned about the dangers of a GLOF event since 2005. The state and central governments have been aware of the risks and made piecemeal attempts to mitigate the threat of a flood in the past. But authorities were not immediately alerted that the lake had breached on October&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/10/no-early-warning-system-and-insufficient-dam-safety-turned-sikkim-flood-deadly/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Sikkim reels under water woes, faces the hottest June</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/sikkim-reels-under-water-woes-faces-junes-hottest-summer/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/sikkim-reels-under-water-woes-faces-junes-hottest-summer/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Jun 2023 13:00:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/06/28103903/PHE-officials-inspecting-and-repairing-the-damaged-water-pipes-at-Ratey-Chu-the-main-water-source-for-Gangtok_PC_-Suraj-Tsong4-1-768x512-1687929005.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=23372</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Extreme Weather Events and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Gangtok, in Sikkim, was reeling under acute water shortage, after a cloud burst-induced landslide on April 20 damaged the city’s water supply system. This year, Sikkim also experienced a heatwave and the water shortage has only made it worse. According to Chetraj Mishra, Chief Engineer, Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, Sikkim, the cloudburst happened at [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Gangtok, in Sikkim, was reeling under acute water shortage, after a cloud burst-induced landslide on April 20 damaged the city’s water supply system. This year, Sikkim also experienced a heatwave and the water shortage has only made it worse. According to Chetraj Mishra, Chief Engineer, Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, Sikkim, the cloudburst happened at 9th Mile, which is 3.5 kilometres from Ratey Chu. “The cloudburst happened along a stretch of 150 metres, causing a landslide which damaged seven water lines,” Mishra said. “There were three 14-inch pipelines and four six-inch pipelines. Within 4-5 days, we temporarily renovated those lines, and we are now carrying out permanent restoration work, which will be completed soon.&#8221; Gangtok citizens forming queue with buckets to collect water during the water crisis in the city. Photo by Suraj Tsong. Mishra added that during the crisis, there were tankers supplying water to households. “There are a lot of springs and rivers in the lower belt of Gangtok, from where water was filled in the tanker and brought by our vehicles and distributed in the neighbourhoods.&#8221; A resident of Gangtok, who did not wish to be named, said they had to stand in queues with buckets to collect water. Ratey Chu, a river which emerges from the glacier-fed Lake Tamze is the main source of water for Gangtok. From Ratey Chu, water is taken to the Selep Tanki Treatment Plant and further supplied to Gangtok. This is not the first time natural calamities have damaged the water distribution&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/sikkim-reels-under-water-woes-faces-junes-hottest-summer/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>The elusive and endangered Sikkim grass lizard makes a rare appearance in Nepal</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/09/the-elusive-and-endangered-sikkim-grass-lizard-makes-a-rare-appearance-in-nepal/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/09/the-elusive-and-endangered-sikkim-grass-lizard-makes-a-rare-appearance-in-nepal/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Sep 2022 13:05:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Abhaya Raj Joshi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/09/14091440/Takydromus-sikkimensis-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=19880</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Connected Environments]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Nepal, Sikkim, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Reptiles, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2020, zoologist Bivek Gautam and members of his team were exploring the forests of eastern Nepal on an expedition to look for the Himalayan salamander (Tylototriton himalayanus). That&#8217;s when they encountered a lizard different in appearance from others they had seen before. It was an entirely new creature in the regions. “We only managed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2020, zoologist Bivek Gautam and members of his team were exploring the forests of eastern Nepal on an expedition to look for the Himalayan salamander (Tylototriton himalayanus). That&#8217;s when they encountered a lizard different in appearance from others they had seen before. It was an entirely new creature in the regions. “We only managed to get a glimpse of it,” Gautam told Mongabay, adding he was left wondering about the identity of the lizard. “A year later, when we returned, we managed to get a much closer look at the lizard.” This time the researchers managed to capture, observe and take measurements of the lizard similar to the one they had spotted a year before. In a recently published study, they concluded that what they had was a specimen of an elusive lizard species, Takydromus sikkimensis, previously thought to be found only in Sikkim in India (hence the specific name sikkimensis). “After observing the scales and its four pairs of femoral pores, 12 rows of ventral scales, and a tail more than 3.6 times longer than snout-vent length, we came to a conclusion that it was the Sikkim grass lizard,” Gautam said. “After identifying the species, our excitement increased when we learnt about its history,” he added. There’s so little known about the species that researchers have at times even doubted that it exists. The Sikkim grass lizard was first described in 1888 by German-British zoologist Albert Günther on the basis of a description of grass lizards from Sikkim&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/09/the-elusive-and-endangered-sikkim-grass-lizard-makes-a-rare-appearance-in-nepal/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Failure to cut GHG emissions is putting species conservation in eastern Himalayas at risk</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/05/failure-to-cut-ghg-emissions-is-putting-species-conservation-in-eastern-himalayas-at-risk/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/05/failure-to-cut-ghg-emissions-is-putting-species-conservation-in-eastern-himalayas-at-risk/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 May 2022 12:19:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sahana Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sahana]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme weather events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/05/16121054/Small_family_of_elephants_at_the_Kaziranga_National_Park_Assam-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=18299</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam, Mizoram, and Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As much as 36% of 47 protected areas in the eastern Himalayas, especially those isolated higher up in the mountains, are highly vulnerable to climate change, a study has said. It cautions that a failure to cut global greenhouse gas emissions will undercut species conservation efforts in the fragile region. Marked by a 1.3 degree [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As much as 36% of 47 protected areas in the eastern Himalayas, especially those isolated higher up in the mountains, are highly vulnerable to climate change, a study has said. It cautions that a failure to cut global greenhouse gas emissions will undercut species conservation efforts in the fragile region. Marked by a 1.3 degree Celsius rise in temperature from 1951 to 2014, a decrease in summer monsoon rainfall and an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events, all protected areas (PAs) in the eastern Himalayas shelter at least one species at high risk of global extinction as classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Climatic changes in the past 50 years are most pronounced in PAs in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal. Mouling National Park, for example, on the bank of the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh, home to takins, serrows and monals, saw a one degree Celsius rise in its average annual temperature and an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius in the average temperature in the coldest season. These changes are “alarming” and “likely to worsen”. A recent analysis of 119 years of rainfall measurements at different rain gauge stations across northeast India, has also revealed a decreasing trend in summer rainfall since 1973, including in rainy Meghalaya, reputed for hosting the world’s wettest place. According to the authors, efforts to build the resilience of these ecosystems to climatic changes like the creation of buffer zones and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/05/failure-to-cut-ghg-emissions-is-putting-species-conservation-in-eastern-himalayas-at-risk/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/05/failure-to-cut-ghg-emissions-is-putting-species-conservation-in-eastern-himalayas-at-risk/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Himalayan medicinal plants under threat due to climate change</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/himalayan-medicinal-plants-under-threat-due-to-climate-change/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/himalayan-medicinal-plants-under-threat-due-to-climate-change/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Apr 2022 12:06:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[T. V. Padma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sahana]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medicinal plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plants]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/04/19101848/Rubus-ellipticus-min-scaled-e1650343767368-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=17929</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas and Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, COVID-19, Environment, Forests, Health impacts, People, Plants, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Medicinal plants in the Himalayas are under threat due to climate change, which calls for reviewing current conservation strategies, including protected parks in the mountain ranges, new research shows. The findings from two new research papers come even as the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Sixth Assessment Report warns of the impact of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Medicinal plants in the Himalayas are under threat due to climate change, which calls for reviewing current conservation strategies, including protected parks in the mountain ranges, new research shows. The findings from two new research papers come even as the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Sixth Assessment Report warns of the impact of climate change on natural and human systems. A study in Sikkim from Bhim Rao Ambedkar college, Delhi University, analysed the potential habitat distribution of 163 medicinal plant species in both the current and future climates scenarios in 2050 and 2070. It used the ‘maximum species distribution modelling’ technique that combines observations of species occurrences, with environmental information, to project future distribution of species. The analysis of Sikkim, part of the Eastern Himalayas biodiversity hotspot, reports that the majority of the medicinal plant species are found in the tropical and subtropical regions in the Sikkim Himalayas, at 300 metres to 2000 metres heights. Most of these are likely to shift upwards and northwards in future climate scenarios. Current species-rich areas are likely to shift by 200 m and 400 m in 2050 and 2070, respectively, the study published in Ecological Informatics reports. More alarmingly, some 13-16% of medicinal plant species in the region are likely to lose their habitats by 2050 and 2070. The results highlight that species that are restricted to specific areas and have a narrow height distribution “are the most vulnerable species and likely to go extinct due to climate change in the Himalayas,” the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/himalayan-medicinal-plants-under-threat-due-to-climate-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>How a livestock grazing ban in Sikkim has transformed pastoral communities</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/how-a-livestock-grazing-ban-in-sikkim-has-transformed-pastoral-communities/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/how-a-livestock-grazing-ban-in-sikkim-has-transformed-pastoral-communities/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jun 2021 10:24:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Neha Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/06/14210452/Sheep-herds-of-West-Sikkim-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=14525</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Grazing and Tourism]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The high-altitude rangelands of the eastern Himalayas with the backdrop of towering snow-capped mountains might be a dream vacation destination for some. But for many traditional pastoralists who once reared livestock in the region, these rangelands have been crucial to their livelihood. A recent interview-based study in India’s eastern Himalayan state of Sikkim examines the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The high-altitude rangelands of the eastern Himalayas with the backdrop of towering snow-capped mountains might be a dream vacation destination for some. But for many traditional pastoralists who once reared livestock in the region, these rangelands have been crucial to their livelihood. A recent interview-based study in India’s eastern Himalayan state of Sikkim examines the impact of the grazing ban and the subsequent promotion of tourism in the state on the lives of traditional pastoralists. The findings show that the grazing ban resulted in the loss of herding and culture along with increased inequality and elite capture. The authors recommend that the views of ex-herders and the local community should be included when planning conservation policies. “Given more than 40 percent of the terrestrial area of the earth is under rangelands, I believe we should focus on bringing the pastoralists and their knowledge in rangeland management and successful rangeland restoration,” says Rashmi Singh, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at Ambedkar University, Delhi. From pastoralism to tourism With respect to conservation, the most common narrative on the use of rangelands by pastoralists and the practice of agriculture has been that it leads to degradation and a decline in biodiversity. On the other hand, scholars have argued that pastures have long co-existed with pastoralists and evolved in response to changing conditions. Conservation policies have been based on the former narrative and excluded pastoralists from their traditional pastures. In 1998, Sikkim banned livestock grazing followed by the removal of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/how-a-livestock-grazing-ban-in-sikkim-has-transformed-pastoral-communities/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Sikkim’s urban sacred groves mitigate double the carbon compared to a natural rural forest</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/04/urban-sacred-groves-forests-in-sikkim-act-as-carbon-sinks/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/04/urban-sacred-groves-forests-in-sikkim-act-as-carbon-sinks/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Apr 2021 11:30:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sahana Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sahana]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Himalayas]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/04/14174206/Deorali-forest-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=13926</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Climate Change Adaptation, and Nature-based Climate Solutions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Sikkim in the eastern Himalayas, religious and cultural ties have helped preserve patches of forests attached to monasteries for centuries. These sacred groves are also crucial to the fight against climate change. A new study finds that carbon mitigated by two undisturbed urban sacred forests in Sikkim is almost double the amount of carbon [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Sikkim in the eastern Himalayas, religious and cultural ties have helped preserve patches of forests attached to monasteries for centuries. These sacred groves are also crucial to the fight against climate change. A new study finds that carbon mitigated by two undisturbed urban sacred forests in Sikkim is almost double the amount of carbon absorbed and stored by a natural rural forest. Urban sacred groves, if properly managed could capture carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, effectively, and reduce warming in cities, according to scientists. Carbon stock and capture potential data of urban forests in India can aid the integration of such forest patches in REDD+ (United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and other climate change-related programs; proper management and monitoring of carbon dynamics in urban forests are essential to building the resilience of cities through these programmes, experts said. Armed with a suite of instruments (clinometer, measuring tape and increment borer) Sikkim University researchers descended on the 74-year-old Deorali Chorten Monastery sacred grove and 111-year-old Enchey Monastery sacred grove in heart of Sikkim’s capital city Gangtok, with necessary permits, to quantify the carbon storage and sequestration potential of these forest patches. They also probed a 35-year-old subtropical natural forest in Dzongu, North Sikkim for its carbon storage and sequestration potential for comparison. Carbon sequestration is the long-term storage of carbon in plants, soils, geologic formations, and the ocean. The carbon stock refers to the amount of carbon stored in forests in the form&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/04/urban-sacred-groves-forests-in-sikkim-act-as-carbon-sinks/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Welcome to Tsomgo lake: Please don&#8217;t litter</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/03/welcome-to-tsomgo-lake-please-dont-litter/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/03/welcome-to-tsomgo-lake-please-dont-litter/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Mar 2021 12:46:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/03/30103255/sikkim-wc-1200-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=13729</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Eco Hope and Wetland Champions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Lakes, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“Long time ago, there was no lake in this place. This used to be a huge valley where yak herders used to graze their animals. One day, an old woman appeared in the dream of one of the herders. She asked the man to leave the place the next morning with his friends as a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“Long time ago, there was no lake in this place. This used to be a huge valley where yak herders used to graze their animals. One day, an old woman appeared in the dream of one of the herders. She asked the man to leave the place the next morning with his friends as a huge lake will come up there. However, none of his fellow herders believed his dream. The next morning, he alone went away from the place. That evening, a giant lake was formed suddenly. Rest of the yak herders who had decided to stay back got drowned in the lake along with their yaks. Even today, it is said that on full moon nights, yaks can be seen in the middle of the lake.” Sangay Lama Sherpa narrates the folk tale about the genesis of Tsomgo Lake in Sikkim. Also known as Changu, the lake is located at an altitude of 12,406 feet, and is one of the biggest tourism draws in the Eastern Himalayan state of Sikkim receiving around 300,000 (3 lakh) tourists annually. Sangay lives in Thegu, which, along with Changu and Chipsu, forms the troika of villages in the vicinity of Changu Lake. The 37-year-old is involved in the conservation of the lake in his role as the Office Secretary of the Tsomgo Pokhri Sanrakshan Samiti (TPSS), the Tsomgo Lake Conservation Committee, since its inception more than a decade ago. “We have been listening to the folklore about the formation of the lake&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/03/welcome-to-tsomgo-lake-please-dont-litter/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
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