ENVIS Centre, Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt. of India

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Wildlife Estimation Underway in Sikkim


wildlife estimation workshop

 

Press Release dated 12th November, 2016

Press Release by C S Rao, IFS, Chief Wildlife Warden cum CCF (WL)

 

Following a series of internal discussions and trainings of field staff involving local NGOs, EDCs/JFMCs, Sikkim University and volunteers, the Forest Environment and Wildlife Management Department formally collaborated with Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the country’s premier institute for Wildlife Research and Management with a training cum sensitization programme in Sidkeong Tulku Forest Conference Hall, Deorali, Gangtok on 11th November 2016.

 

Chaired by the Principal Secretary cum PCCF, Dr. Thomas Chandy, IFS along with CCF (T/WL &HQ)-cum-Chief Wildlife Warden Mr. C. S. Rao, IFS and attended by all Forest and Wildlife Protected Area Managers from CFs, JDs, DFOs, ACFs, ROs and BOs, along with members of NGOs, ECOSS, WWF-India, ATREE, MLAs, EDC / JFMC Members and Representatives of Sikkim University, this final in-house training programme was conducted by Mr. N.W. Tamang, IFS Conservator of Forests (WL).  The WII Team of scientists included Dr. S. Satyakumar, Dr. K. Ramesh, Dr. Tapajit Bhattacharya and Dr. Aishwarya Maheshwari, who gave inputs on conducting the wildlife estimation programme in the field including methodology and efficient use of camera-traps.  A pictorial species identification key developed using photographs of carnivores and ungulates, their droppings, pugmarks/ tracks from an earlier collaborative research project, was distributed to the participants along with data-sheets.

 

Dr. Thomas Chandy, IFS in his inaugural address highlighted the need to understand and use modern technologies in population estimations of key wildlife species including those responsible for Human-Wildlife conflicts, for proper and sound management of our Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park. Mr. C.S. Rao IFS highlighted the role of WII experts in conducting Sikkim’s first ever estimation of Wildlife Population across the state and encouraged the field officials to make full use of their expertise.

 

The meeting was concluded following distribution of essential field equipments such as compass, GPS, range-finder, binoculars, camera-traps to the wildlife managers of the four districts, after which the four experts left for the four districts to conduct hands-on field training of the PA managers, staff and others at Pangolakha, Maenam, Dentam-Barsey and Tsungthang on 12 November 2016.