The study has been carried out by the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) in collaboration with the Forests, Environment and Wildlife Management Department, Sikkim. The objective of the study was twofold: First, to examine the effects of a grazing exclusion on local ecological and socio-economic conditions of the resource- dependent communities in the selected study sites. Second, to create a holistic framework for assessing the effects of a grazing exclusion that could be employed in future larger studies on evaluating grazing exclusions in the State.
The selected study sites were Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary (BRS) and a part of the buffer zone of Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (KBR) in the West District of Sikkim.