Pastoralism and Rangeland Management on the Tibetan Plateau in ...

in turn impacts the pastures through over <strong>and</strong> less uniform grazing. Third,
the fee extracted through livestock market is spent in town with no pay back
to the livestock sector. In most of the livestock markets, even no watering,
loading/unloading <strong>and</strong> shade facilities are made available. The wool processing
is still through traditional ways <strong>and</strong> the introduction of mutton sheep breeds
is threatening the survival of woollen h<strong>and</strong>icrafts. The unsustainable harvest
of medicinal <strong>and</strong> aromatics plants from wild have brought many species to the
endangered list. The mining of gemstones <strong>and</strong> precious metal are providing
alternative occupations, however, the absence of regulation to mitigate the
negative environmental impacts are making such excavations hazardous.
Livestock <strong>and</strong> its products are the main pastoral output in HKH Mountains
of Northern Pakistan <strong>and</strong> can be a vehicle to support the sustainable uplift of
the communities. Reducing market biases in live animal marketing may contribute
to sustainable use of pastures. The promotion of wool processing <strong>and</strong>
value addition to the woollen h<strong>and</strong>icrafts in some areas has promising results
<strong>and</strong> need extension to other areas as well. The medicinal <strong>and</strong> aromatic need
identification of thresholds for sustainable <strong>and</strong> regulated harvest from the wild
is important pre-requisite to maintain biodiversity. The gemstone excavation
similarly needs regulations for rehabilitating the degraded sites after excavation.
The conservation of wild ungulates through communities for trophy hunting
<strong>and</strong> eco-tourism are the other proven areas for diversifying income opportunities
for pastoral communities <strong>and</strong> improving their livelihood.
References
AKRSP 2008: An Assessment of Socio Economic Trends in Gilgit Baltistan
<strong>and</strong> Chitral, AKRSP Gilgit.
AKRSP 2010: Meat Production <strong>and</strong> Marketing Project Business Plan,
AKRSP Enterprise Section, Gilgit
Baquar, S. R 2001: Textbook of Economic Botany (1st Edition). Lahore
Beg, Ghulam A. 2010: Current Status of <strong>Pastoralism</strong> in Gilgit-Baltistan
<strong>and</strong> Chitral, paper presented at regional workshop on pastoralism <strong>and</strong>
rangel<strong>and</strong> management under conditions of Global <strong>and</strong> Climate Change
Conditions, Khorog, Tajikistan, 14–22 July 2010
Cacopardo, A. M. <strong>and</strong> Cacopardo, A. S. 2001: Gates of Paristan: History,
Religion <strong>and</strong> Society in the Hindu Kush. Istituto Italiano Per L’ Oriente,
Centro Scavi E Ricerche Archeologiche. (= Reports <strong>and</strong> Memoirs Volume
V). Rome
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> > > 4. Niche Production as an Additional Asset for <strong>Pastoralism</strong> <strong>and</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong> <strong>Management</strong>