Abstract
Darjeeling Himalaya is a typical mountainous terrain composed of tropical, temperate, and alpine ecosystems and widely varying elevation ranges followed by a great diversity of flora and fauna. About 30% of the total geographical area (TGA) falls under forest cover, about one-third area as tea gardens and the rest is under agriculture and medicinal plants cultivation. There are no large floriculture gardens of public interest as yet, interestingly, aesthetic and commercial floriculture is almost wholly confined to individual home premises. In pursuance of the guidelines prescribed by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)-1992, this paper, reflects the outcomes of a three-year project, sponsored by the Govind Ballabh Pant ‘National Institute of Himalayan Environment’ (NIHE), Almora, India (formerly known as G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development), and would seek to address five main objectives, namely, survey and documentation of wild species including rare and endangered ones; identifying areas where R&D is needed to safeguard and enhance the health of the plants and animals at the species, genetic and ecosystem level; conservation and rational utilization of natural resources as related to the process of sustainable development; generating mass awareness through education and training on scientific, economic, environmental, ecological and social dimensions of biodiversity; and, raising necessary manpower needed to promote sustainable growth and development of biodiversity resources on a long term basis.
Keywords
Biodiversity conservation, CBD guidelines, Floriculture parks, Management