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| Home» publications » Vol. 5, No. 2 | ||
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| main page | Discussion Collaborating on Applied Yak Research (The Third International Yak Congress, September 4-9, 2000, Lhasa, P.R. China) Background - The Yak Over 60% of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region consists of rangelands, much of it high altitude pastures between 2,500 and 5,000 masl. The yak, as the only bovine to adapt to the cold and harsh conditions of this region has been instrumental in both nurturing and helping to shape its remarkable biodiversity as well as patterns of landscape change in these mountain areas. The remote Changtang nature preserve in the Tibet Autonomous Region remains the last place where wild yak still survive. The range of products and services provided by the yak is astounding, though not well understood outside the region. For example:
The movement of yaks through the diversity of herding regimes and trading patterns has also created and maintained economic and social networks and contributed to regional stability and mutual understanding. The future of the yak and the critical role it has played in the past is undergoing rapid change. According to zoologists and geneticists, there are important unanswered questions regarding the degree of genetic diversity, inbreeding, and distribution of desired traits among yaks - to name just a few. Survival of the species and livelihoods related to it will depend on the degree to which we continue to help the yak adapt to our changing ecological and socioeconomic environment and maintain its health. [From the Opening Remarks by Dr. J. Gabriel Campbell, Director General, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu, Nepal] Also, after a thoughtful review of the literature of scientific and technical reports on traditional cattle from the Himalayas, the yak is being considered as a likely and efficient alternative for the Andean peasants at higher elevations. The yak, with more than four thousand years of adaptation to high altitudes, also offers a potential alternative for the Andes. Thanks to its high fat content, yak milk is better for processing as dairy products than for direct consumption. In addition, the yak does not need to thrive on natural highland grasslands, and it may be possible to obtain good results with the limited pastures available in the Andes. The Event The Third International Yak Congress was held in September (4-9) 2000 in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The meeting aimed to
Symposia were held to highlight the following major themes.
Technical papers cover specialised topics under the following themes.
Details of the congress will be available in the complete proceedings that are to be published. Afghanistan in Grip of Drought By A. W. Adil <saves@brain.net.pk> from a message to the Mountain Forum-Asia Discussion List on 27 July 2000 Afghanistan is currently in the grip of the worst drought since 1971. The winter of 1999- 2000 witnessed much less snowfall than 1998-1999, which was itself a drought year. With both rain and snowfall down, less water is available in the rivers and in the water table. The mountains that were covered with snow in the past are mostly denuded now. Initial assessments showed southwest Afghanistan to be the most affected area, it is now confirmed that the whole country has been severely affected. Long term-intervention will be required by the international community to alleviate the effects of the drought on the most vulnerable population groups. Preliminary results of the crop assessment survey show that rainfed crops in the North failed almost completely. The Central Highlands are also seriously affected. This area serves as summer rangelands for the nomad population with a substantial livestock population. The people most affected are rainfed wheat producers whose crop, normally to be harvested between May and July 2000, has almost totally failed. These include 2.5 million rainfed wheat farmers in northern Afghanistan. A preliminary estimate suggests that between now and June 2001 at least half of the population of Afghanistan may be affected by drought, three to four million people severely and a total of eight to twelve million moderately. Livestock owners, especially Kochis, are the second most affected group. The water table has been decreasing and continues to drop in all the urban areas in the country because the aquifers have not been sufficiently recharged. Urban residents across the country rely largely on shallow hand dug wells for drinking water. These are becoming dry. Source SAVENEWS Irbis Enterprises: Community Enterprise for the Conservation of Snow Leopards By Priscilla Allen "For epochs to come the peaks will still pierce the lonely vistas, but when the last snow leopard has stalked among the crags...a spark of life will be gone, turning the mountains into stones of silence." - George B. Schaller 1977. Since initiating snow leopard conservation work in Mongolia in 1992, the potential for the above scenario becoming reality has hit us hard. But even more devastating, we see the possibility for an entire ecosystem, one that includes the nomadic peoples of this fragile central-Asian mountain realm, slipping from existence. Then certainly, only stones of silence will remain. Living close to the land, as Mongolia's herding culture demands, contrasting entities - humans and wildlife, predators and prey, livestock and snow leopards - are inseparably intertwined. It is for this reason that any conservation initiative must consider the needs of all. A solid understanding of those needs was as difficult for us to gain about herders whose felt ger homes are scattered through the seemingly impenetrable peaks, as it is for elusive snow leopards and ibex. After many years living among both herders and wildlife, we have developed a new conservation programme that addresses the most pressing needs of all concerned. We call it Irbis Enterprises. Irbis is the Mongolian word for snow leopard and altough it is the flagship of the programme, the aims are much broader and rest primarily upon income generation for herding families that live adjacent to snow leopard habitat. The communities we work with live in remote settings, far from large towns where they might take advantage of opportunities offered by the new market economy. For cash income they are dependent on trading livestock products with travelling traders, who might not always pay full market prices. Irbis Enterprises offers herders the opportunity to increase the value of their livestock products by turning them into finished items and selling them to tourists visiting Mongolia and also overseas through fair trade and special interest outlets. By working in cooperation with protected area officials at national and local levels, we are able to foster a positive relationship between all stewards of the landscapes and ecosystems. Focusing on products that are easy to make from readily available resources we ensure that all households in our target areas can participate, wherever necessary we provide training. The project is managed at micro-level by local people who are known and trusted in the community. Most of the cash benefits go directly to the producers, 99% of whom are women, a small proportion goes towards payment of logistical costs, and some goes into a conservation fund. A final benefit is that this positive message about conservation, fair trade, and sustainability is spread to a wide international audience. For more information, please visit: http://www.irbis-enterprises.com
or contact us via Current Policy Issues in NTFP Development in Nepal The abstract below is by Hemant R Ojha Email:<hemant@infoclub.com.np> Natural Resource Management Officer of the Asia Network for Small-scale Bio-resources (ANSAB), Kathmandu, Nepal from a message to the Mountain Forum-Asia Discussion List; 7 August 2000. Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) are being increasingly recognised for their role in rural livelihoods, biodiversity conservation and export values. The market of NTFPs is expanding, and this is an opportunity as well as a challenge for a more sustainable, efficient, and equitable management of NTFP resources. But unsustainable harvesting, inequitable benefit distribution, and overall economic inefficiencies characterise the current NTFP practices. This paper seeks to review the current policy issues and their implications in sustainable management, utilisation, and trade of the NTFP resources. Policy issues have been clustered around 'inappropriate regulatory control' and 'inadequate enabling environment' for sustainable NTFP management and trade. These two categories of issues are dealt with in detail with specific cases and examples. By analysing observable economic, social, and ecological consequences of such issues, implications for more directions of policy change are made for sustainable use and management of the NTFP resources in Nepal. The full paper is available on-line at < http://www.mtnforum.org/mtnforum/archives/reportspubs/library/ojhah00a.htm >. Honey Hunters and Mountain Honey Bees in Nepal The following excerpts are from an e-mail discussion on issues related to mountain honey bee production and tourism impacts, which took place on the "Mountain Forum-Asia" discussion list. During last month I visited a few villages of Kaski district of Nepal in search of Honey hunters and Apis Laboriosa (a mountain honey bee). Our visit was organised by BEENPRO, an NGO dedicated to conservation of bee diversity in this area. Apis Laboriosa nests on the cliffs beyond the reach of people and pollinates local mountain flora, resulting in sustainable natural seed spread. The presence of cliff bees has led to the development of a new ingredient of mountain culture called honey hunting. Besides being an economic activity harvesting cliff honey, honey hunting also involves special rituals and satisfies the leisure requirements of isolated mountain people. Hunting cliff honey is a dangerous activity and most of the cliffs are named and remembered by the names of honey hunters who died during honey harvesting. This culture does not allow the total eradication of bee nests but rather supports the sustainable presence and multiplication of cliff bees. However, in the name of ecotourism, tour operators bring well-equipped tourists for honey hunting and catalyse the destruction of Apis laboriosa nesting sites. We were told that one Korean company is regularly harvesting this precious cliff honey and exporting it to Korea. This practice is depriving local people of their precious resources and leading to indiscriminate harvesting of cliff honey. We have seen a few cliffs with only one bee nest; previously there were hundreds of bee colonies in these same cliffs. This important genetic resource of Nepal, which sustains local flora and helps in pollinating local crops, needs the special attention of environmentalists and policy-makers. Farooq Ahmad I was wondering about the drug-like impact of some of the honey harvested from these cliffs. I have known several groups who harvest the honey and tell of its impact. Do you know if this characteristic of the honey is caused by the flowers the bees are visiting? How much of this honey is so affected? Is this the reason the Koreans are harvesting it? If it is normal honey, why come to Nepal? Thanks for any enlightenment you can provide. John Metz I am also an indigenous inhabitant of the Himalayan foothills of Hazara division in Pakistan. Although I make my living as a free-lance consultant in rural development and environment, my hobby is bee-keeping. Are you aware of any research in the Pakistan mountains? I raise this question from my 20 years' experience of working on the Karokoram Highway, mostly in Kohistan. This area was famous for wild honey. But recently I have learned that honey production has decreasd considerably in Kohistan due to unknown reasons. I shall rule out honey hunting by foreigners, like Koreans in Nepal, due to the fact that this area is quite hostile to external visitors and foreigners. Muhammad Ayaz Khan Thank you for your interest in bees and bee products. This discussion was initiated to create awareness about the role of wild bees and communities associated with them. Nectar source plays an important role in determining the chemical configuration of honey. ICIMOD's beekeeping project is documenting information on this issue by analysing different types of wild honey. The quality of honey is not only determined by the nectar source. Honey bee species, the season, and overall environmental complex are also important factors. Last week we had a meeting with a famous honey hunter of Kaski district, Nepal. He confirmed that Laboriosa honey bees make toxic honey in his area. Freshly harvested honey causes a paralysing condition in the human body lasting about 12 hours. We discussed with him about the colour, fragrance, and viscosity of this honey. Another farmer told us about the source of this honey, which is a hill legume known as Pangra in the local Gurung language. One group of hunters revealed how they were paralysed for one day after consuming fresh cliff honey. They told us that there are no harmful implications. Farooq Ahmad |
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