19 new species of flora and fauna in Sikkim

[Vijay Barve]

Hi

 

Just blogged this interesting news about new discoveries form Sikkim. Orchids and fishes.

 

http://diversityindianews.blogspot.com/2009/09/19-new-species-of-flora-and-fauna-in.html

 

Regards,

 

Vijay

 

---
Vijay Vasant Barve
http://DiversityIndia.org/

[usha lachungpa]

Dear Vijay,
Thanks for posting the information by WWF about new species from Sikkim.
I checked up the authenticity of the information you mentioned, with WWF-I which has an office in Gangtok and am posting the response below by Ameen Ahmed for information at the end of this email.
Regards, Usha

On Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 4:03 AM, Vijay Barve <barve...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi

Just blogged this interesting news about new discoveries from Sikkim. Orchids and fishes.

http://diversityindianews.blogspot.com/2009/09/19-new-species-of-flora-and-fauna-in.html

Regards,

Vijay

Vijay Vasant Barve
http://DiversityIndia.org/

Ameen Ahmed's Email:

Hello Usha,
I am in receipt of your below email, forwarded to me by Dr.Dipankar Ghose, and would like to address the points you have raised.

The new species report referred in the mentioned story in Times of India, Sep 3, 2009, is 'The Eastern Himalayas - Where the worlds collide'. This report has not been published by WWF-India but by the Living Himalayas Network Initiative, a programme of WWF-International presently based in Kathmandu. As you have noted, WWF-India has just provided information on the same on its website, which is listed at the link you sent.

The below report of Times of India has some factual inaccuracies. It credits WWF 'surveyors' as having discovered ' 21 new species of orchids'. This is not correct. WWF International has only compiled the discoveries by various scientists, conservationists and academicians in the region in the past decade, in this report. The aim of the report is to highlight the biological richness of the region and hence the urgency to protect it. WWF has not listed the 'survey work' of Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in the original report, a copy of which is available for download at the link you sent.

Hope this clarifies.
Best regards,
Ameen
Ameen Ahmed
Senior Manager (Communications) -
Species and Landscapes Programme,
WWF-India, New Delhi


--
Usha Ganguli-Lachungpa
Sr. Research Officer (WL)
Dept. of Forest, Env. & WL Mgmt.
Government of Sikkim
Deorali, Gangtok 737102
Tel/Fax:91-3592-280402;
Cell:094340-25273
ulach...@gmail.com
ulachun...@yahoo.com