Guwahati: In a remarkable example of grassroots conservation, Sirisay village in Namchi district has achieved what few communities anywhere in the Himalayan region can claim — every household in the village now hosts native orchid species, transforming the settlement into a living repository of Sikkim’s rich floral heritage.
The milestone marks the culmination of a three-year community-driven conservation movement that brought together villagers, youth volunteers, orchid enthusiasts and researchers to protect indigenous orchids increasingly threatened by habitat loss and developmental pressures.
The initiative, led by botanical researcher Pramod Rai and supported by local youth volunteers, has resulted in all 75 households of Sirisay-Thampong village cultivating native orchids on trees within their compounds, making orchid conservation a shared community responsibility rather than an isolated scientific effort.
Sikkim, despite being India’s second-smallest state, is home to nearly 532 orchid species, one of the highest orchid diversities in the country. Conservationists warn that while tree loss is often visible, the disappearance of orchids growing on those trees frequently goes unnoticed, leading to the silent erosion of biodiversity.
For Sirisay residents, however, orchids are more than just plants.
Village elders still recall the legendary orchid enthusiast affectionately known as “Sunakhari Sailaa” (Orchid Man), who spent years distributing native orchids free of cost among villagers and nurturing a culture of appreciation for the state’s floral treasures. The conservation movement is widely seen as a continuation of that legacy.
Orchids are also woven into local cultural traditions.
Members of the Rai and Limboo communities traditionally used fibres from the stems of Dendrobium moschatum to make ropes for crafting “Dhajura“, a traditional ornament worn with ethnic attire.
To accelerate conservation efforts, the Dong Heavenly Path Organization (HPO) and Dong-Sirisay Village Youths recently organised a large-scale Native Orchid Conservation Drive. During the programme, 630 orchid seedlings representing 29 species across 11 genera were distributed and planted throughout the village.
Among the species introduced were Dendrobium nobile, the State Flower of Sikkim, alongside Dendrobium aphyllum f. alba, Coelogyne viscosa, Coelogyne barbata, Arachnis clarkei and Vanda pumila.
The orchids were supplied by veteran growers and conservationists Dr. Nayan Bokhim, Dinesh Tshering Bhutia and Pramod Rai. Dr. Bokhim and Bhutia have spent more than four decades conserving native orchids and are regarded as pioneers of the Namchi Flower Show movement.
A team of 17 volunteers visited every household in the village, identifying suitable host trees and carefully mounting two to three orchid species according to ecological requirements. Residents were encouraged to safeguard both the trees and the orchids growing on them.
The programme was inaugurated by Ward Panchayat Yoshnita Yangma (Rai) of Sirisay-Thampong Ward, who has supported the conservation initiative since its inception.
The movement began in 2021, expanded in 2024 and reached its most significant milestone this year. Earlier plantations recorded an impressive survival rate of around 75 per cent, encouraging organisers to undertake compensatory planting and extend coverage to every remaining household.
Today, every family in Sirisay participates in native orchid conservation, while nearly 45 per cent of households were already cultivating species such as Cymbidium aloifolium, Cymbidium bicolor, Dendrobium aphyllum, Dendrobium nobile and Rhynchostylis retusa.
Beyond planting, volunteers conducted awareness campaigns on the dangers of indiscriminate orchid collection from the wild. Organisers stressed that all orchids used in the programme were sourced ethically from rescued plants on fallen trees and exchanges among responsible growers, ensuring that natural populations remained undisturbed.
The village is also emerging as an important biodiversity hotspot. Sirisay is known to harbour Chlorophytum sikkimense, a rare plant currently recorded only from the area, and Eulophia siamensis, a terrestrial orchid whose only confirmed Indian population has been reported from the village.
Conservationists say the success of Sirisay demonstrates how traditional knowledge, scientific guidance and community participation can work together to protect biodiversity. With native orchids now growing in every household, the village has created a unique conservation model that could inspire similar initiatives across the Himalayan region.
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