THE ECOFRIENDLY CHAMPION

                                                                                            Pro. R. S. Sengar and Others

An NGO, working in Sikkim is empowering villagers through sustainable tourism and water management strategies that reverse environmental damages.

Two planks are central to this NGO's work in Sikkim: water and tourism. By combining them adeptly, they have started a virtuous cycle of healthy farm produce, steady passive incomes and lucrative skill building across local communities. Called the Ecotourism & Conservation Society of Sikkim (ECOSS), it is a grassroots organization that has been working in one of India's most eco-sensitive regions for more than two decades to nudge locals towards, homegrown environment friendly policies.

This NGO was founded in January 2001 and based in Gangtok, it is inspired by the simple idea that Sikkim's natural wealth cannot be protected unless local communities steer the conversation.

Eco-friendly home stays have been a big part of ECOSS's strategy. By studying models across rural Sikkim, documenting their economic and social impact and feeding these findings to the government, the organization has helped ensure that regulations are grounded in lived experience. "Success has drawn in younger people, many of whom are eager to start home stays of their own. Trekking routes that had fallen silent are vibrant again, offering visitors organic food, clean mountain air and an experience rooted in a living landscape," says Paul Karna Rai, a local home stay owner.

"Once a few house-holds saw home stays could actually generate income while preserving local cultures and dignity, the model sold itself," says Prem Das Rai, the Founder and Chairman at ECOSS. The NGO has made a five-year ecotourism marketing plan under the Japan International Cooperation Agency project for the state forest department.

Water is the other critical local concern, which extends to the larger Himalayan region. In collaboration with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, ECOSS has implemented a water conservation project in Raigaon village to recharge the source of mountain streams.

These interventions involve renewing springs and rejuvenating groundwater sources that villages need for drinking and farming.

Today, ECOSS stands as a rare example of an organization that has evolved with Sikkim itself: grounded in local realities, trusted by communities and respected by governments and international partners alike. Its story is not one of spectacle, but of steady, thoughtful work, reshaping how development is imagined in the fragile Eastern Himalayas.

Writer: Professor R. S. Sengar, Director Training and Placement, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Modipuram, Meerut.