न्यूज अभियान
हरेक खबर विशेष खबर

Kathmandu, Oct 19:  As climate change, shrinking pastures and rural migration threaten traditional mountain livelihoods, yak and chauri (a yak-cattle hybrid) herders from Nepal, Bhutan and India are joining forces to safeguard their livelihoods, preserve their heritage and build a more resilient future for Himalayan communities.
The initiative will take shape with the formal launch of the Himalayan Yak Herders’ Network during Bhutan’s 9th Royal Highland Festival, scheduled for October 23-24 in Laya, Bhutan.
According to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the network is the first of its kind in South Asia dedicated exclusively to yak-herding communities. 
It marks the culmination of nearly a decade of collaboration among herders, governments and development partners.
Inspired by the World Reindeer Herders Association, the network will be led by yak herders from across the Himalayan region, with its secretariat based in Bhutan. It aims to strengthen collective advocacy, facilitate knowledge-sharing, build local capacities and foster cross-border cooperation.
The festival will bring together representatives of Nepal’s Yak and Chauri Farmers Federation, the Bhutan Yak Federation and the Indian Yak Federation, alongside government officials, researchers, development partners and other stakeholders. Bhutan’s King and Prime Minister are also expected to attend, ICIMOD said.
Yak rearing remains central to the livelihoods, cultural traditions and local economies of high-altitude communities. 
Yet, herders across the three countries face mounting challenges, including declining yak populations, degraded grazing lands, climate change, loss of genetic diversity, wildlife-related livestock losses, limited access to markets and essential services, and the exodus of young people from mountain settlements.
Tashi Dorji, ICIMOD’s senior livestock and rangeland specialist, said these interconnected challenges transcend national boundaries and call for coordinated regional action.
The network is expected to strengthen ties among the three national federations, promote resilient livelihoods, protect healthy rangelands and conserve valuable yak genetic resources.
The idea of a regional network first emerged in 2016, when yak farmers, researchers and government representatives from the three countries met through ICIMOD’s Kangchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative. 
Two years later, regional representatives attended the Arctic Frontiers conference in Norway, where they engaged with the World Reindeer Herders Association, drawing inspiration for a similar platform for Himalayan herders.
A concept of establishing such regional forum at Hindu Kush Himalaya was developed being inspired by trans-boundary model of the Association.  
Subsequently, the three countries made agreement to form a strong national federation before establishing regional network.  
The national federation were formally formed in Bhutan in 2022, in 2023 in Nepal and 2025 in India. 
The federation leaders and government representatives of the 10th Conference on Sustainable Animal Agriculture for Developing Countries organised in Vietnam in 2025 had made a formal commitment to establish Himalayan Yak Herders' Network. 
This launch, to be organised at Royal Highland Festival in Bhutan, is the significant milestone in the collaboration that has been ongoing for nearly a decade between Himalayan yak herders' communities and their partners. 
Rangeland covers more than 60 per cent of Hindu Kush Himalaya. Grazing lands are major resource for 25 million to 30 million indigenous and local communities who directly depend for their livelihood. 
As per National Agriculture Census (2021/22), 9,899 farmers have been rearing 53,195 yak and chauri in Nepal. Karnali Province alone, the grassland account for 34 per cent of the total land of the country. Ninety-two species of medicinal plants are found here and an annual income of around Rs 36 million is generated from the trade of these medicinal plants.  
Similarly, as per the 20th Livestock Census (2019) of India, there were around 58,000 yaks in the country.  According to Yak Federation of India, there is around 32,000 yaks with 526 member households of the federation in 2026.
In Bhutan, 746 household have reared total 29,432 yaks, as per the 2024 statistics of National Statistics Bureau of Bhutan. 
Yak farming contributes four per cent to the country's total livestock production.  According to the data of ICIMOD, the number of yaks in Nepal, Bhutan and India has seen a significant decline over past few decades due to changing patterns of land use, degradation of grazing lands, climate-related pressure and socio-economic changes.