“He who experiences
the unity of life sees his own self in all beings, and all beings in his own
self.” - Buddha
The Changthang region in eastern Ladakh, continuation of
the Tibetan plateau is home to the nomadic tribe Changpa who have been rearing
livestock for centuries. Studies on their traditional way of life have shown a
highly sustainable grazing system and a life in tune with nature. ‘Goba’ or the
village head’s decisions were followed without question and it was he who
decided where livestock were to graze and when the group needed to move to
another pasture land. Grazing areas were demarcated and any livestock found grazing
outside that area was fined per animal. This ensured that an area was not
overgrazed and it was allowed to regenerate. Groups would camp near water
bodies, not too near to avoid polluting them. The tents would face east so as
to receive the morning sun. Since the hearth is considered sacred, they would
move camps mostly at night, so that the hearth was not open to outside eyes.
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| River Indus outside of Leh |
Even now a
large number of communities all across India live a nature-based life. But this
aspect is all the more prominent and deeply rooted in a harsh environment like
Ladakh. Life here has evolved keeping in mind the scarcity of natural resources
and communities have thrived and self sustained despite nature’s limited
resources. Not only that, respect for nature and other forms of life is a way
of life here and so is the understanding that humans are just a part of a
larger whole. There are many practices which defines this sustainability and
understanding, the lifestyle of the Changpas being just one of them. The presence
of Army, urbanization, tourism and a western system of education has led to
massive changes in Ladakh’s social fabric over the last few decades with the
younger generation moving away from traditional livelihood practices and opting
for jobs outside their villages and people losing their deeper connect with
nature and sustainable practices. These changes will start reflecting on the
use, misuse or overuse of these natural resources sooner or later. But what
will hit them the hardest in future is not something of their own making but created
by us people from the plains.
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| Grandmother with grandson in Sham Valley |
The effects
of climate change are right at the doorstep and being a fragile ecology the
changes are stark. Ask anybody across Ladakh – from Leh to remote villages –
everybody will tell you how the weather is warming up. Snow as precipitation is
decreasing and glaciers are melting. Monsoon which was defined by drizzle like
rain for a few weeks has now changed to heavy to very heavy rainfall in short
bursts and dry periods after that. Being a mudslide prone region, these changes
increase the risk of more mudslides like the one that happened in 2010. The
cycle of farming and storing up for the severe winters will get affected. Water
will get more scarce and high altitude pastures which are dependent on snow
fall will decrease affecting wildlife and livestock alike. How this will affect
the ecology of the region as a whole and humans and wildlife in particular is
yet to be seen.
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