TMI leads research trek to Budang Gadi to mark Biodiversity Day

GANGTOK, 23 May: The Mountain Institute-India, in collaboration with the Pendam Gram Vikash Sangathan and Biodiversity Management Committee of Pendam, organized a “research, awareness and education trek” to the Gadi area of Pendam on 22 May to mark the International Biodiversity Day. The main objective of this program was to “learn the ecotourism potential of the Gadi Cultural Landscape, involvement of local communities on ecotourism services, biodiversity significance and the conservation issues, and finally support the Biodiversity Management Committee, local healers, school students and local people with scientific methods of plants identification, identification techniques for birds and general ecology of the Gadi sacred landscape”, a TMI release explains.
Dr. Bhoj Kumar Acharya, a respected bird specialist, Dr. Tika Nepal, a medicinal plants specialist, Dr. Ghanashyam Sharma, Program Manager TMI-India, Ganga Ram Guragain, chairperson of Pendam Gram Vikash Sangathan, Rudra Prasad Pokhrel, Gram Panchayat, four indigenous health practitioners, 12 school students of Pendam Senior  Secondary School, four members of Pendam Biodiversity Management committee, and two school teachers participated in the daylong biodiversity trek.
The trek was coordinated by Dr. Ghanashyam Sharma.

After a short briefing, the team visited Dhap Lake, a dried lake that was a source of water to all the villages of East Pendam, Central Pendam, and West Pendam covering around 40 villages till 40 years ago. The main reason for the disappearance of the lake is not known. Until 1973, the lake had water. Interviews with elders of the village revealed that lake water started disappearing since 1968.
The lake lies at an altitude of 1,700 metres and is surrounded by degraded forests and some construction works by the Tourism department. It has become a makeshift cricket ground for the students and villagers and also serves a venue for the annual fair organized here every winter.
The team also observed that the site is under the administrative control of the Forest Department and faces high anthropogenic pressure such as grazing, feeling of trees, extraction of resources (fuel-wood, fodder, NTFPs), loping of tree branches, campsites etc. The team collected plastics, bottles, and other trash thrown all over the area.
The Gadi Cultural Landscape lies between 1300 and 2000 m elevations and houses subtropical to temperate agro-climatic environment with a huge rock summit which enhance the tremendous spirituality of the peak wilderness, the release shares.
Explaining how birds are sighted and recorded in the rear jungle, Dr. Acharya explained scientific techniques involved in bird watching. A few extremely rare species of birds such as Ficedula westermanni, Cuculus micropterus, Lanius cristatus, Pericrocotus brevirostris, Macropygia unchall were sighted in the area. Two endemic birds - Yuhina bakery and Actinodura nipalensis - were sighted at the top of the mountain.
Similarly, Dr. Nepal explained plant identification in the field. He said that the Gadi area was rich in plant diversity such as medicinal and aromatic plants, climbers, pteridophytes, and old trees. Gadi cultural landscape is home to some rare plants such as Acer sp., Begonia rebulla, Begonia satrapis, Coelogyne treutleri, and Cymbedium hookarianum, he added.
The Mountain Institute India proposes to document the biodiversity of the Gadi Sacred Landscape in the near future. This sacred forest is also a habitat of a large number of wildlife such as bears, deer, civet cats, flying squirrels and a large number of endemic birds and butterflies.
It was learnt that the Budang Gadi is culturally significant to the multiethnic communities inhabiting the area. The indigenous communities believe that this sacred mountain is the abode of deities who protect them from natural calamities. This mountain has a small temple of Goddess Gadi Nishankali Devi. Every year, as many as three to four cultural rituals and pujas are performed by the indigenous communities, while individual pujas by households continue throughout the year.
The mountain system is also the catchment area of all local water sources for all the villages below. The Gadi also houses a small temple cave of Goddess Limbani and an ever-drying pond all spread over a seven-acre area.
The Budang Gadi cultural landscape is an emerging ecotourism destination. General awareness and community participation on conservation education, skill development training for providing ecotourism services such as cooks, nature guide, homestay etc. is still lacking, the trekking team observed.
TMI has, however, initiated documentation of Genetic Resource and associated Traditional Knowledge through Biodiversity Management Committees Pendam since 2010.
The Budang Gadi is also of historical significance to Sikkim. The appearance on a mountain pinnacle has the capacity to support all life forms that have attributes for strengthening the cultural context and holistic nature, the experts inform.
Ruma Lal Khatiwada, a local resident said that Gagdi Mandir is the protector and a supreme authority that bestows us natural wealth to humans. He also added that it is the place of war between Bhutan and Sikkim. The ruins of a fort still exists spred across a 1000 ft on a 5 acre plot. Oral history of the area also informs that Gorkha generals, Damodar Pandey and Kalu Pandey, reached this spot when they led an army to invade Sikkim.
The “Gadi Sacred Place” is a cultural sanctuary socially, culturally and spiritually valued by the indigenous communities, TMI conveys, adding that it is an example of conservation purely by indigenous communities. At present, the Gadi Sunakhari Club is looking after all the conservation activities here.