Research uncovers changing way of life in one of the planet's most unique areas: 'The bones of the Earth'
The Ladakh region, located on the far north end of India, borders China and Pakistan and is situated near the Himalayas and other mountain ranges. It's also where the Indian tectonic plate meets and pushes against the Eurasian plate, moving northeast at about 5 centimeters per year, according to a report from the Gates Cambridge Trust.
The report quotes Ladakh historian Janet Rizvi speaking on the area: "Here the bones of the earth not only protrude through the mantle which life has cast over them…but are given only the scantiest covering."
This tricky topography means the ecosystem is continually shifting very slightly. It's home to many migrating and grazing yaks, sheep, and goats. And the local Changpa pastoralists — a term close in meaning to "shepherds" — herd the animals around lakes and valleys in the area for a few weeks at a time.
These migration periods have become shorter because climate change is affecting the growth of grass needed to sustain the animals. Residents are also turning away from the unstable and unpredictable lifestyle of working as pastoralists.
According to the Gates Cambridge report, the biggest concern locals have is "how to transition the communities from primarily pastoralist livelihoods to permanent settlements and to other forms of income generation — tourism, military, farming, etc. Pastoralism is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain when borders are closed, and younger generations are foregoing it entirely."
Shifts in the environment, a changing climate, and migrating wildlife can significantly affect humans via infectious diseases, drought, flooding, and more that can threaten their health and livelihoods.
"Ladakh is a case study in how climate change migration is not just an issue of mass displacement from intensifying natural disasters, but how climatic change can be a gradual process. With such changes, migration is simply a fact of life and another form of adaptation, not an impending disaster," wrote Samira Patel, the author of the report.
The report suggests that the region needs better climate policies to protect the people and the environment. More local representation and participation from those who understand the changing landscape can help build those strategies and guardrails.
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At the same time, the region needs "support structures for migratory multispecies communities to sustain their work," such as effective infrastructure for responding to "issues like drought and human-wildlife conflicts and building economic models that integrate pastoralist traditions."
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