Monitoring of High Altitude Habitats in West Sikkim by Himal Rakshaks

The high altitude alpine zone of the Sikkim Himalayas holds exceptional ecological, cultural, economic and biodiversity values.

This zone is the source of many of the Himalayan rivers, which sustain millions of humans downstream. While a number of sanctuaries
and national parks have been notified to protect this unique alpine landscape, on-ground effective conservation initiatives continue to be lacking.

In order to address this policy gap, the Himal Rakshak or voluntary mountain guardian program was piloted in Sikkim in the year 2006. The Himal Rakshaks are community based individual volunteers from the high altitude villages who contribute in conservation initiatives for important wildlife areas of the state. This report documents the monitoring of high altitude habitats in West Sikkim by the himal rakshaks.