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Sikkim Terrace Farmland and Forests

Terraced farmland and forests in Martam -1600 to 1700 m. elevation

 

Nature Resources

The state is gifted with abundant flora and fauna, and in such proliferation that it is a paradise for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. Bird watchers and trekkers will certainly relish each and every moment in Sikkim's delightful Nature.

There are around 550 species of birds as well as several rare Himalayan fauna, about 4500 species of flowering plants, 362 species of ferns and its allies, 11 species of oaks, 9 species of tree ferns, 30 species of primulae and 20 species of bamboo.

A variety of rare medicinal plants are found in the wild and there are ongoing schemes towards propagating such species at commercial levels.

Forestry has the major land use in Sikkim and nearly 84% of the total geographical area of the state is under the administrative control of the forest department. The forest cover of the State is 3129 sq. km., which is 45% of the total geographical area.

Sikkim Land Use (in sq. km)

Details to Sikkim’s 7096 square kilometers of land mass under different utilization categories are as under:

#

Class

Reserve Forest

Revenue Block

Total
Area

%
Area
01 Snow 1018.23 5.41 1023.64 14.43
02 Alpine barren 815.80 2.35 818.15 11.53
03 Mixed open forest 433.37 333.38 766.75 10.81
04 Alpine scrub 611.44 27.72 639.16 9.01
05 Crop land 0.00 604.85 604.85 8.52
06 Mixed dense forest 464.46 138.88 603.34 8.50
07 Alpine pastures 431.32 0.00 431.32 6.08
08 Mixed degraded forest 194.56 235.06 429.62 6.05
09 Dense conifer forest 351.94 16.14 368.08 5.19
10 Open conifer forest 340.63 21.55 362.18 5.10
11 Glaciers 208.23 0.00 208.23 2.93
12 Degraded conifer forest 156.89 16.30 173.19 2.44
13 Fallow/Scrub in Revenue Blocks 0.00 155.69 155.69 2.19
14 Oak-Rhododendron forest 100.34 26.24 126.58 1.78
15 Scrubs in reserve forest 101.87 0.00 101.87 1.44
16 Forest blanks 90.56 0.00 90.56 1.28
17 Rivers/major streams 31.81 32.50 64.31 0.91
18 Dry river beds 31.49 9.10 40.59 0.57
19 Lakes 32.30 0.70 33.00 0.47
20 Sal open forest 15.93 1.54 17.47 0.25
21 Sal dense forest 5.30 0.77 6.07 0.09
22 Sal degraded forest 3.32 0.71 4.03 0.06
23 Land slide areas 5.37 5.16 10.53 0.15
24 Miscellaneous 6.93 6.30 13.23 0.19
25 Built-up area 0.30 3.24 3.54 0.05
  TOTAL 5452.39 1643.59 7095.98 100%
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