A village in Sikkim’s Namchi district on Sunday (June 21, 2026) achieved 100% native orchid coverage to live up to its name of “orchid village”.

A team of 17 volunteers visited all 75 households of Sirisay-Thampong village as part of a one-day native orchid conservation drive, identifying suitable host trees and mounting two to three ecologically significant orchid species. The orchids used were epiphytic species capable of growing naturally on tree trunks.

The Heavenly Path Organisation (HPO) of Dong village and the youth of Dong and Sirisay organised the drive to plant 630 orchid seedlings representing 29 species and 11 genera. Notable of these species included Dendrobium nobile (Sikkim’s State Flower), Dendrobium aphyllum var. alba, Coelogyne viscosa, Coelogyne barbata, Arachnis clarkei, and Vanda pumila.

Dong and Sirisay are neighbouring villages. The conservation-oriented plantation was carried out in Sirisay-Thampong, one of two villages in the Sirisay area, the other being Sirisay-Silichung. These villages are under the Denchung Dong gram panchayat unit.

Nayan Bokhim and Dinesh Tshering Bhutia, veteran orchid growers from Namchi with more than four decades of experience in ex-situ conservation of native orchids, and botanical researcher Pramod Rai contributed the orchids to the village.

“The programme was inaugurated in the presence of Yoshnita Yangma of Sirisay-Thampong ward, who has supported the initiative since its inception. The household members were encouraged to protect both the host trees and the newly established orchid populations,” Mr. Rai told The Hindu.

Orchid plantations recorded a survival rate of 75% after the conservation drive was launched in 2021, followed by its second phase in 2024. This year’s effort focused on compensatory planting and extending orchid cultivation to the remaining households.

Mr. Rai spearheaded the movement to give Sirisay the ‘Orchid Village’ tag and make it stand out as an example of community-led conservation. Several village youths, including Vaskar Rai, Sanjay Rai, Sujan Rai, Shrawan Rai, Udai Limboo, and Sajal Rai, are part of the group.

“The initiative, driven by a shared vision of conserving native orchid diversity, has brought together local households, youth volunteers, orchid enthusiasts, and conservationists under the common goal of protecting the region’s rich natural heritage,” the researcher said.

Sikkim, India’s second-smallest State, is home to 532 orchid species, making it one of the country’s richest orchid regions. However, rapid developmental activities threaten the State’s biodiversity.

Orchid enthusiasts in Sikkim said that while the loss of trees is often recognised as habitat degradation, the associated loss of epiphytic orchids is frequently overlooked. Orchids are regarded as important indicators of ecosystem health due to their specialised relationships with mycorrhizal fungi, pollinators, and their sensitivity to environmental changes.

Mycorrhizal refers to a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship between the fungi and the root systems of most land plants.