Open Access
How to translate text using browser tools
14 September 2021 Against the Tide: The Future of Transhumant Herders in the Kailash Sacred Landscape of Nepal
Binaya Pasakhala, Rucha Ghate, Karma Phuntsho, Popular Gentle, Janita Gurung, Ashok Shrestha, Kamala Gurung, Sunil Thapa
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Transhumant pastoralism, with its cultural, ecological, and socioeconomic significance, is an important livelihood strategy for mountain communities. Despite its importance, transhumant pastoralism is declining in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. This study examines the drivers of change experienced by transhumant herders in Bajhang, western Nepal, in order to understand future implications for transhumant pastoralism in the region. Here, animals are raised to transport goods to remote villages and to earn supplemental income through the sale of milk, meat, and livestock. The study found that herders are experiencing multiple drivers of changes—including socioeconomic, political, institutional, ecological, and climatic—which have both positive and negative implications for their livelihoods. Herders have responded to these changes by altering their transhumance routes and by reducing the variety and numbers of animals raised. The increasing market demand for meat from freely grazed animals and limited road access are current factors contributing to the perpetuation of transhumant herding in Bajhang. Meanwhile, the institutional mechanisms provisioned in the National Rangeland Policy are neither functional in the study area nor able to resolve issues of the herders. The study recommends developing an incentive-based mechanism involving herders and other stakeholders to address the challenges faced by herders.

© 2021 Pasakhala et al. This open access article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Please credit the authors and the full source.
Binaya Pasakhala, Rucha Ghate, Karma Phuntsho, Popular Gentle, Janita Gurung, Ashok Shrestha, Kamala Gurung, and Sunil Thapa "Against the Tide: The Future of Transhumant Herders in the Kailash Sacred Landscape of Nepal," Mountain Research and Development 41(4), R8-R15, (14 September 2021). https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-20-00073.1
Received: 27 November 2020; Accepted: 16 June 2021; Published: 14 September 2021
KEYWORDS
herder
livelihood
Mountains
Nepal
transhumant pastoralism
Back to Top