Picture: PANDA 2020 Vol 12, 92 paged special edition ENVIS Sikkim Hub Newsletter being released by Shri Karma Loday Bhutia, the Hon'ble Minister, Forest and Environment Department, Government of Sikkim in presence of senior officers of the department on August 13, 2020 at Tragopan Meeting Room, Forest Secretariat, Gangtok.
Editorial Note:
Humans have evolved and co-existed with Nature from time immemorial. In this current situation of the so-called ‘new normal’ amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we the Humans have many things to learn from Mother Nature. It is omnipresent and will thrive in all forms and more potent than mere human existence. However, the opposite does not hold true. Humans are responsible for rationing and safeguarding our finite natural resources for our future generations.
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 way the global climate has taken a snooze from the ascending heap of crisis. This is but provisional. As we resume our daily chores and inch towards business as usual, we need to administer positive climate actions to mitigate the global crisis affecting humanity to alleviate the economic inadequacies posed to us during the lockdown.
Now, we do not fully comprehend the value and strength of every life form on earth, be it a miniature living cell or an invisible virus. In this special edition, we attempt to explore and correlate the linkages of the current pandemic with climate change and loss of biodiversity. This issue also provides research and scholarly insights on the vastly rich Himalayan biodiversity and climate change perceptions and adaptation strategies in Sikkim, Himalaya.
I hope you will fnd this edition informative. » See the Publication
M. L. Srivastava, IFS
Principal Secretary cum PCCF
Forest and Environment Department
Government of Sikkim
