Livelihood support

Dzongu site, it was found as a result of year-long field visits, surveys and Rural Appraisal (PRA) etc, that the decreasing livelihood options of the local people of the region and their increasing dependence on forest resources which could be compensated by the development of ecotourism in the Pilot Site. There are many agricultural products which support livelihoods of the villagers of Lingthem-Lingdem GPU. For long, various types of local products are made from the available resources either for self consumption or for the sale in local markets but decreasing with production of large cardamom, the most of the youth generation are mobilised to urban area for looking jobs. The site has also various issues related to the human-wildlife conflict, local livelihood, ecosystem management, etc. and has various opportunities to develop itself as an ecotourism destination dealing conservation and livelihood together. So far, promotion and strengthen the ecotourism services in the pilot site a community is developed as well as a five days long programme was organised based on "Organized skill & Capacity Building for Improved Tourism Services: Training and Exposure visit programme was organised at Yuksam to mobilize and train the local people towards ecotourism services in the village. Focussing on proper management and empowering local people with skills for improving ecotourism services, this training-cum-exposure visit was conducted in Yuksam, Sikkim, in collaboration with the KhangchendzongaConservation Committee (KCC).

The identifid venue, Yuksam, is already well known for its development in the field of community-based tourism and has gained much fame for its ecotourism management and services, both nationally and internationally. An exposure visit to this region was thought to be the best step possible to mobilise the people and develop an interest in this cause among the participants. The pronounced dependency of the community over the forest resources was also found in the Dzongu site. An initiative was taken to understand the demand and supply of fodder species in the region following the household survey of the use pattern and vegetation sampling in the region from where the fodders are extracted. Based on the objective of the project, the Lingdem village under Lindem-Lingthem, Gram Panchayat Unit (GPU), has been identified based on their dependency on cattle rearing for the agricultural purposes and dairy products. Songbing tourism management and development committee (STMDC) is formed in Dzongu for strengthen tourism sector in the region and in collaboration with this community an Ecotourism festival has been organised in the region under the KLCDI- India programme.

Barsey-Singalila site, similarly, it was found as a result of year-long field visits, surveys and Rural Appraisal (PRA) etc, that the decreasing livelihood options of the local people of the region and their increasing dependence on agricultural practices and tourism in identified part of West Bengal (Gorkhey and Samaden Villages); while in Ribdi-Bhareng village (Sikkim), farming is the major occupation. Community in the site heavily depend on the utilization of natural resources for their livelihood i.e. firewood, wild edible, fodder, timber, etc. Increasing dependency on forest resources and decreasing of livelihood option, the dairy farming was the best option of livelihood which support income of the community of the village of Ribdi-Bhareng. So, far, a three days long training was organised on "Training cum Exposure visit On Animal Nutrition and Health Care for Improving Dairy Production'. The programme was organised by GBPNIHESD in collaboration with potential stakeholders such as The Mountain Institute-India (TMI-Gangtok), DISHA-Kalimpong, and Animal Husbandry Department, Government of Sikkim at PanchayatBhawan, Ribdi-Bhareng, West Sikkim from 16th – 18th November, 2017, under KLCDI-India Programme. The main objective of the training was to promote dairy farming in the site. This could be conceived by creating awareness in local farmers, through integrating both traditional and scientific techniques of dairy farming practices. In this context, to promote and strengthen rearing of livestock and dairy farming in the village, distributed common medicines to the all participants along with the chopper machines for the five beneficiaries in the training.

One of the major objectives of the implementation phase of the KLCDI-India programme is to improve livelihoods of Gorkhey-Samanden people by promoting production and marketing of seasonal vegetables and off-season vegetables with special focus on deprived communities and families. The programme envisages in providing options for income generation and sustainable economic growth to farmers and thereby contributing to their better livelihood.. Through involving and encouraging beneficiaries for growing vegetables in polyhouse, promotion of cultivation of high-value vegetable crops is also being emphasized in the Gorkhey-Samaden village. During addendum phase of KLCDI-India programme, one of the imperatives that came out of the community consultation and discussion for the promotion of tourism in Gorkhey-Samanden was the need of a local tourism committee involving the interested household members. In this contex, Gorkhey Ecotourism Committee (GEC) is formed in Gorkhey, West Bengal for improving tourism services.

Bandapani site, decreasing interest of the locals on agricultural by the pronounced effect of the wildlife conflict (Human-Elephant Conflict) has been identified in the Bandapanin Site. This conflict has raised severe concern regarding the agriculture and the livelihood of the region. The initial studies on the trend of the Elephant movement and conflict being important, the household survey and PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) on the affected regions was initiated.
Based on household survey of Human-Elephant Conflict in Bandapani site, the best measure of mitigation of Human-Elephant Conflict in the region will be identified and Human-Elephant Conflict management plan will be developed for the region under KLCDI- India programme.Bandapani site is considered as a significant place for tourism because of its unique characteristics like transboundary nature, corridor connectivity with protected areas, very rich faunal and floral diversity, natural beauty, etc. The site already has an ecotourism committee. The activities for strengthening Garochira Ecotourism Committee committee and proper coordination and management of the existing committee is developed.