Context:
ICOMOS launches World Heritage Transhumance Initiative to highlight the heritage value of Transhumance Cultural Landscape.
Transhumance:
- A form of pastoralism or nomadism organized around the migration of livestock between mountain pastures in warm seasons and lower altitudes the rest of the year.
- Practiced mostly in – Mountains, highlands, or other areas that are too cold to be inhabited and utilized for grazing except in summer.
- Significance –
- Encourages sustainable use and intelligent adaptation to inhospitable environments amid changing climatic conditions.
- Ensures food security and fosters social inclusion and strengthens cultural identity.
- Threats – Economic changes favouring settlements, reduced grazing area, climate change and diversion of land for industrial purposes and urban development.
Transhumance Landscapes of India:
- Prevalent in – Himalayas
- Home to nomadic tribes such as Gujars, Bakarwals, Gaddis and Changpas
- Also exists in – Plains such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh
Source: ICOMOS
Previous Year Question
With reference to ‘Changpa’ community of India, consider the following statement:
1. They live mainly in the State of Uttarakhand.
2. They rear the Pashmina goats that yield a fine wool.
3. They are kept in the category of Scheduled Tribes.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2014 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
The Changpa are a semi-nomadic Tibetan people found mainly in the Changtang in Ladakh and in Jammu and Kashmir.
