North East Butterfly Meet– Season IV
Sikkim
Sikkim is a north-eastern state of India. It borders China in its north and east, Bhutan in its east, Nepal in its west and the Indian
state of West Bengal in its south. Sikkim is also located close to the Siliguri Corridor near Bangladesh. Sikkim is the least popu-
lous and second smallest among the Indian states. A part of the Eastern Himalaya, Sikkim is notable for its biodiversity, includ-
ing alpine and subtropical climates, as well as being a host to Kanchenjunga, the highest peak in India and third highest on
Earth. Sikkim's capital and largest city is Gangtok. Almost 35% of the state is covered by the Khangchendzonga National Park.
Modern Sikkim is a multi-ethnic and multilingual Indian state. Sikkim has 11 official languages: Nepali, Sikkimese, Lep cha, Ta-
mang, Limbu, Newari, Rai, Gurung, Magar, Sunwar and English. English is taught in schools and used in government docu-
ments. The predominant religions are Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism. Sikkim's economy is largely dependent on agricul-
ture and tourism, and as of 2014 the state had the third-smallest GDP among Indian states,[9] although it is also among the
fastest-growing.
Sikkim accounts for the largest share of cardamom production in India, and is the world's second largest producer of the spice
after Guatemala. Sikkim has the highest share of agricultural land dedicated to organic farming in India. It is also among India's
most environmentally conscious states, having banned plastic water bottles and styrofoam products. Source: WIKI
Opening Meeting. Quote from the Press Release: Sikkim Minister of
Forest, Environment and Wildlife Department T.W Lepcha inaugurat-
ed the NEBM-2017. Lepcha appreciated the initiative of BAMOS-NCS
for the conservation of Butterflies and moths in Sikkim and congratu-
lated president of BAMOS, Nawang Gyatso Bhutia for his “Limca Book
of Record” for attracting 95 species of butterflies on his body and pre-
sented him the Record Certificate. Addressing the participants he ob-
served that such types of programme need to be organized on a regu-
lar basis for the awareness of nature conservation in general and
butterflies in particular. He emphasized the potential of the rich biodi-
versity like butterflies and birds to generate alternate source of in-
come for the people of Sikkim through sustainable ecotourism. Ad-
dressing the gathered students, he advised them to take maximum
benefit out of this programme to learn about the conservation of nat-
ural resources and consider a career in this field. Deputy Speaker of
Legislative Assembly cum Dzongu MLA Sonam Gyatso Lepcha, con-
gratulated BAMOS for conducting National Level Butterfly Meet at
Dzongu which would help the local people of Dzongu to be aware of
the rich butterfly biodiversity.