Forest And Biodiversity Conservation
This component aims to enhance the global, social, and economic value of biodiversity and improve livelihoods in and around protected areas (PAs), buffer zones, and reserved forests. It seeks to achieve this objective through the establishment and implementation of sound management plans and the dissemination of biodiversity information for promoting public awareness on the significance of biodiversity.
Although the component focuses on the management of public lands, it will also support sustainable forest and biodiversity management outside the reserved forests and PAs. This component is designed to strengthen the development and implementation of the management plans for the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve and the seven wildlife sanctuaries, and of the working plans for reserved forest management. Effective implementation of the plans will require a well-defined natural resource information base and human and financial resources.
The recently-approved protected area management plans identify the resource gaps that need to be filled for the effective implementation of the plans. The component focuses on the followings.
1) the enhancement of the spatial and resource information base for planning, implementation, and monitoring of forest and biodiversity management;
2) the establishment and improvement of zoning and of plans for the management of reserved forests and protected areas;
3) the promotion of public support for biodiversity conservation through research, ex-situ conservation, and extension; and
4) the capacity development of the Forestry Department.
In addition, inter-sectoral linkages will be built among the Forestry Department, State Pollution Control Board, Sikkim University, Wildlife Institute of India, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and Eco Development Committees (EDCs) and other related institutions.