Usha Lachungpa

principal chief research officer (retired)

Usha Lachungpa retired after 31 years service as Principal Chief Research Officer (WL) with Sikkim State Forest Department, Govt. of Sikkim. She was Additional Director of Sikkim Biodiversity Board and is now it’s Board Member. She worked with Bombay Natural History Society as Field Biologist till 1985. Her special interests lie with conservation of high altitude wetlands and wildlife in Sikkim. A naturalist in every sense of the word, her research helped add more species to those included in Salim Ali’s book Birds of Sikkim. She is currently a State Coordinator for the Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN), the co-author of the book Important Bird Areas of Sikkim and a founder member of two NGOs.

Over the last four decades, through her rich years of service, she has woven strong and lasting links between the state government and NGO networks to the advantage of biodiversity protection of the Sikkim Himalaya.

Publications

Acharyya, Sanjay and Usha Lachungpa. 2004. Traditional Standing-Crop Protection Techniques of Selected Villages of Rongli, East Sikkim, India. Annual Journal of Sikkim Akademi.

Badola, Hemant & B.S. Kholia, Usha Lachungpa, Bill Buffum, Jiro Iguchi, Jiro and SK Patnaik. 2012. Sikkim Biodiversity Action Plan 2012. Gangtok. Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management Project.

Ganguli-Lachungpa, U., Islam, M. Z. And Rahmani, A. R. 2007. Important Bird Areas of Sikkim: Priority Sites for Conservation. Gangtok: Dept. of Forest, ENv. & WL Management. Government of Sikkim.

Ganguli-Lachungpa, Usha and Bishnu Lal Sharma. 2003. Common Coot Fulica atra from Kyongnosla in East Sikkim. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 100 (1): 121. 

Ganguli-Lachungpa, Usha and Bishnu Lal Sharma. 2002. Himalayan marmot Marmota bobak (Muller) re-sighted after eight years at Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary, East Sikkim J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. Vol. 99 (2): 288 

Ganguli-Lachungpa, Usha and Sudhi Zong Lucksom. 1998. Sighting of Hodgson’s Frogmouth Batrachostomus hodgsoni hodgsoni (G.R. Gray) from Sikkim. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 95 (3): 505 

Ganguli-Lachungpa, Usha, S. Z. Lucksom and Dechen Lachungpa. 2010. Biodiversity of Raj Bhavan: Gangtok, Sikkim, India. Gangtok: Raj Bhavan.

Hillaluddin, Rahul Kaul, Sunita Pradhan, Usha Lachungpa and Jonathan Taylor. 2006. Wild Animal Hunting and its Management in the Eastern Indian Himalaya. Proceedings of the National Conference on “Environmental Education for Sustainable Life Style” organized by Department of Zoology, Patna Women’s College Pp. 19-36.

Kholia, B.S., Ranjan Joshi, Usha Lachungpa and P. S. Das. 2008. International Year of Biodiversity – revisiting curricula for conservation. Current Science 99 (12), 25 December 2010.

Lachungpa, Usha. 2009. Indigenous lifestyles and biodiversity conservation issues in North Sikkim. Indian journal of traditional knowledge 8 (1): 51–55.

Lachungpa, Usha. 2006. Role of Values and Ethics and Biodiversity Conservation in Sikkim. Proceedings of National Conference on Environmental Education for Sustainable Lifestyle, Patna Women’s College, pp 49-60

Lachungpa, Usha. 2005. Sikkim: Land of Biodiversity. Bulletin of the Twelfth Saarc Summit Islamabad, Pakistan: 225–233. 

Lachungpa, Usha. 2002a. Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan (BSAP) Process in North Sikkim. In: A. P. Krishna, P. D. Rai & J. Subba (Eds.). South Asia Perspectives on Ecotourism & Conservation 2002, pp. 141–152.Gangtok: Ecotourism & Conservation Society of Sikkim 

Lachungpa, Usha. 2002b. Eurasian Eagle-Owl Bubo bubo tibetanus Bianchi at 2100m in North Sikkim. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 99 (2): 305–306.

Lachungpa, Usha. 2000a. Dead snow leopard Uncia uncia at Yabuk, Dongkung (5500m) in north Sikkim. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 97(1): 137–138

Lachungpa, Usha. 2000b. Takin Budorcas taxicolor at Menla Reserve Forest (3050m), East Sikkim: a westward range extension and observations of unusual behaviour. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 97 (2): 272-274. 

Lachungpa, Usha. 1998a. Wildlife of Chho Lhamo Plateau. Sikkim Herald Vol. XLII (15):5; 8th April.

Lachungpa, Usha. 1998b. Attempted breeding of Blacknecked crane Grus nigricollis Przevalski in north Sikkim. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 95(2): 341.

Lachungpa, Usha. 1998c. On the occurrence of the Tiger Panthera tigris in Sikkim. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 95 (1): 109. 

Lachungpa, Usha. 1998d. Western greyheaded thrush Turdus rubrocanus rubrocanus G. R. Gray in Sikkim. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 95(3): 505. 

Lachungpa, Usha. 1998e. “Faunal Diversity in Sikkim: an overview.” In: Rai, S. C.; Sundriyal, R. C.; Sharma, E. (Eds.) Sikkim: Perspectives for Planning and Development, pp 241–251. Gangtok: Sikkim Science Society. 

Lachungpa, Usha. 1997. Tibetan gazelle Procapra picticaudata in Sikkim. India. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 94 (3): 557 

Lachungpa, Usha. 1996a. Unusual congregation of Nayan Ovis ammon hodgsoni Blyth at Gyam Tsona, North Sikkim. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 93 (2): 292.

Lachungpa, Usha. 1996b. Globally threatened species Baer’s Pochard Aythya baeri, a new record from Khecheopalri Lake, west Sikkim. Sikkim Science Society Newsletter 9 (2): 4 

Lachungpa, Usha. 1996c. The owls of Sikkim. Sikkim Science Society Newsletter 9 (3): 8.

Lachungpa, Usha. 1996d. Avifauna of trans-Himalayan and alpine grasslands in Sikkim, India. Proceedings of the Salim Ali Centenary Seminar, 1976. pp 196-207 

Lachungpa, Usha. 1994. Tibetan wild ass or Kiang not extinct in Sikkim. Sikkim Science Society Newsletter 7 (3): 7–9. 

Lachungpa, Usha. 1993. Avocets in Sikkim: Another new record. PANDA (Inaugural Issue): 15-16. 

Lachungpa, Usha. 1991. Occurrence of Blacknecked grebe Podiceps nigriceps Brehm, Little grebe P. ruficollis and Goosander Mergus merganser Linn in west Sikkim. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 88 (2): 280.

Lachungpa, Usha. 1990a. Blackwinged kite Elanus caeruleus vociferus (Latham) at 3650m in Sikkim. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 87 (1): 142. 

Lachungpa, Usha. 1990b. Brahminy duck Tadorna ferruginea (Pallas) breeding in Sikkim. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 87 (2): 290. 

Lachungpa, Usha. 1990c. Osprey Pandion haliaetus in Sikkim. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 87 (2): 291.

Lachungpa, Usha, Asad Rahmani and M. Zafar-ul Islam. 2011. Eleven Priority Areas for Conservation: Important Bird Areas of Sikkim. In IPR (Eds.) Biodiversity of Sikkim. Gangtok: IPR, Govt. of Sikkim.

Lachungpa, Usha and N. T. Bhutia. 2008. Status, Distribution and Management of Galliformes in Sikkim. Galliformes of India, ENVIS Wildlife and Protected Areas, Wildlife Institute of India 10 (1): 127–130.

Lachungpa, Usha and Chezung Lachungpa. 2008. “Sikkim.” In M. Zafar-Islam and Asad R. Rahmani (Eds.) Potential and Existing Ramsar Sites in India, pp. 425–439. Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society. 

Lachungpa, Usha and S. T. Lachungpa. 2007. Biodiversity and forest Conservation in Sikkim. Sikkim Akademi (Akademi Journal) Barsa 5 (4): 88–94.

Lachungpa, Usha, Sandeep Tambe, SBS Bhadauria, Murari Arrawatia and TR Poudyal. 2002. Sikkim State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).

Poudyal, T.R. H. P. Pradhan, C. Lachungpa and Usha Lachungpa. 2009. Sikkim Forestry: 100 Years of Service. Gangtok: Forest, Env. & Wildlife Management Department, Government of Sikkim.

Poudyal, T.R., S.B.S. Bhadauria, U. Lachungpa, Sandeep Tambe. 2005. Sikkim: Land of Biodiversity. Bulletin of the Twelfth SAARC Summit Islamabad, Pakistan: 225–233.

Sharma, T. and Usha Lachungpa. 2003. “Alpine Grasslands in North Sikkim.” In: Dr. Vatshagopal (Ed.) Sikkim Akademi Annual Journal 2002-2003, pp. 122–128. Gangtok: Sikkim Akademi. 

Tambe, Sandeep, Usha Lachungpa, Brijendra Swaroop, S.B.S. Bhadauria and Muarai Arrawatia. 2003. Plan for Medicinal Plants Conservation and Sustainable Utilization.