An inside story of Himalayan people from the far end of West Sikkim: Conservation and Conflict

 

Daramdin at the lap of Barsey Sanctuary  

Thanks to State Biodiversity and Forest Management Project)   for giving us chance to meet our community at Ribdi village at the West boarder of Sikkim situated at the lap of Singalila Range and surrounded by wilder appearance of dark hood of Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary.  Six hours approximate drive from capital city Gagtok via Jorethang- Sombaria lead us to the village. The village is also one of the gateways to the beautiful Himalayan range, the Singalila and the Singalila Trek. The trek route is popular among the local and

foreign tourist and trekkers since British intervention in Sikkim and its peripheral states.  In Connection to Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercise and  Micro Planning of Ribdi Eco-development Committee, a programme sponsored by SBFP, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) funded project,  we entered village at the evening of 25^th November, 2012 . At my first step,  I got my answer and realized what   Ribdi’s  potato and underlying taste in our tongue stand for. It may be the quest carried   by every aware consumer who seeks quality and tasty potato in our local markets including adjoining city of Siliguri and sometimes far from Siliguri too.  The taste is the synthesis of   extreme painstaking labour of Ribdian in struggle with sticky red soil accompanied by chilly cold white mist and snow of peak winter.  Not only that, it is the underlying cause of smile in the face of beautiful Himalayan toddler to whom everybody use to love seeing at the sight, the hardness reflected in the muscle of youth, and the pain reflected in the folding creases in the face of  old Ribidians. Ribdi Village is a largest producer of Potata in the State.  The production is equally importance in terms of not only quantity but for its taste and quality in Sikkim and its adjoining regions.  The village is almost dominated by Himalayan might, the Sherpas professing Buddhism. The extended sloppy semi-terraced red soil field is the land of potato. This is the cultivation period and shall extend up to the first half of January.

The PRA  and its outcome: 

Conducting PRA exercise, I considered among the other  to estimate the transition taken place in the production of potato within the six panchayat wards (Ramitey, Lower Ribdi, Upper Ribdi, Lower Bhareng, and Upper Bharen) in the territorial jurisdiction of present Eco Development Committee. I took  1997 as the base year and year 2012 as current year  to estimate and to compare changes in production profile of potato in  the village.

The result of approximate community estimation is as follows:

Production in the  year 1997: 40,20,000 Kg or 40,200qtls

Production in the  year 2012: 11,40,000 Kgs or 11,400 Qtls.

 Current Average Prize  INR 18/kg

Possible income at current prize with the production of base year = 40,20,000 Kgs X INR 18= INR  7,23,60,000

Income at current prize with the production of current year= 11,40,000 kgs X INR 18 =INR 2,05,20,000.

The income difference  arises if present production would be at least at the level   of base year or 1997 is = INR7,23,60,000-INR 2,05,20,000= INR 5,18,40,000. The approximate lost in villagers income due to fall in production of potato is estimate at Rupees five crore, eighteen lakhs and forty thousand which could be hardly compensated by any type of subsidies or aid given by the government as a provision to mitigate the lost happen to the villagers on such account of failure of potato production or other crop likewise. In the same manner decline in maize production is too stiff here. Mr. Nima Sherpa, a local resident informed that production of maize falls from around 520 kgs  earlier in 1997 to 3- 4 kg at present in his plot. 

Causes of Crop Failure 

As per the statements given by the villagers the causes of such a stiff fall in production are among the others ban on supply of chemical fertilizers, excessive crop damage by wildlife like Wild Boar, Porcupine, Himalayan Black Bear and other animals being the village lies in forest fringe area of Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary, decline in production of cow dong and organic manure due to the ban on collection of litters from forest and ban on grazing therein. In some cases it is appeared that the problem is so acute which compelled villagers to abandon their traditional practices and their residential home in favour of living  life as marginalized unskilled industrial labour outside.  

Community suggestion for conflict resolution: 

The measures suggested by the community therein includes lifting of 100 percent ban on grazing with certain regulatory measures enabling rotational grazing in fringe forest, lifting the ban on collection of litters and to allow collection at least to limited extent of fringe forest, departmental support for crop insurance, increase in the quantum of monetary compensation for damage of crop by wild interference etc. So the judicious reconsideration of certain governmental policies,  agricultural or forestry  is the call of hour which enables the protection of the right of indigenous forest dwellers, tribal and forest dependent community.  

The end note: 

Himalaya faces the challenge of man animal conflict and extreme crop damage at the conserved fringe area of National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary and Reserved Forest in the Himalayan belt. Its health and conservation is primarily depend upon the will power of its real guard, the Himalayan community. The inspiration to them to protect Himalaya arises only in protecting the right of aboriginals of the Himalayas.  Among the others approach, an intensified efforts to promote ecotourism and homestay in Himalayas may be another way to safe this dwindling community and to make their living better.