The workshop consisted of presentations by Ph.D and Post-Doctoral scholars and collaborating faculty. Besides Noragric and ATREE participants, students from Sikkim University and other higher educational institutions also participated. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. Mahendra P. Lama, Vice Chancellor Sikkim University and Member, National Security Advisory Board. He spoke about the need to build synergies between traditional knowledge and science and the need to deliberate the character of development needed for mountainous regions such as Sikkim. Dr. Gry Synnevåg, Head of Noragric and Dr. Gladwin Joseph, Head of ATREE welcomed the audience. Dr. Bishal Sitaula Project Head and Dr. Siddhartha Krishnan, ATREE Project Coordinator, introduced the workshop. Suman Rai, Regional Director of ATREE, proposed the inaugural vote of thanks.
The workshop was divided into six technical and thematic sessions over two days. On day one there was three sessions. The first session, Climate change, biodiversity, agriculture and pastoral livelihoods, had six presentations, most of them pertaining to the eastern Himalayas. The second session Avian, small mammalian and aquatic diversity – habitat structure effects and community structure impacts, had two presentations based on research in the Western Ghats and the Western Coast. Three presentations were made in the third session Local hunting and human conflicts with large mammals.
Day two continued with session four, Species invasion, restoration, regeneration and livelihoods, in which three presentations were made. Session five, Protected Area conservation and forest rights had two presentations, one of which was faculty driven. The remaining faculty related research was presented in the last session, Climate change, conservation and livelihoods. This session included research conducted by different faculty clusters.
A valedictory panel was organized to discuss people, biodiversity and global change with a focus on challenges in the North East. Panel members included Dr. J. P. Tamang, Professor at Sikkim Government College and Ms. Usha Lachungpa, Senior Research Officer, Wildlife Department. A summary of presentations over a day and a half was presented and the relevance of research done under the project for the North Eastern region was discussed. Dr. Siddhartha Krishnan proposed a project end vote of thanks. A field trip to the higher reaches of Sikkim was organised on day three.
Brochure on the Capacity Building for Interdisciplinary Research and Application between Noragric, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, and ATREE, Bangalore.