Ikeda, Naho

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Himalaya, the Journal of theAssociation for Nepal andHimalayan StudiesVolume 26Number 1 People and Environment: Conservation andManagement of Natural Resources across the HimalayaNo. 1 & 2Article 112006Kharka of the Ghunsa Valley in the KanchenjungaConservation Area in Eastern Nepal Himalaya:Diverse Locations of Campsites Used by Yak/Yak-cattle Hybrid HerdersNaho IkedaFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalayaThis Research Article is brought to you for free and open access by theDigitalCommons@Macalester College at DigitalCommons@MacalesterCollege. It has been accepted for inclusion in Himalaya, the Journal of theAssociation for Nepal and Himalayan Studies by an authorizedadministrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For moreinformation, please contact scholarpub@macalester.edu.Recommended CitationIkeda, Naho (2006) "Kharka of the Ghunsa Valley in the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area in Eastern Nepal Himalaya: DiverseLocations of Campsites Used by Yak/Yak-cattle Hybrid Herders," Himalaya, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and HimalayanStudies: Vol. 26: No. 1, Article 11.Available at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya/vol26/iss1/11----..- Peak and ridge--- Riverc=:J Forest• Villageo Subsidiary Village• Kharka identified as actualcampsite of yak/yak-cattlehybrid herderKharka identified as potentialcampsite for yak/yak-cattlehybrid herderFIGURE 1LOCATIONS OF KHARKA (CAMPSITE) USED BY YAK/YAK-CATTLE HYBRID HERDERS IN THE GHUNSA VALLEYThe locations of kharka indicated have been identified by the author's surveys in 1998,2000 and 2001. Topographical map of 1: 50,000 scale(Survey Department, His Majesty's Government of Nepal based on aerial photography of 1992) was used as the base map. Distribution ofglaciers was corrected according to Asahi and Watanabe (2000). Distribution of forests was partly corrected by the author's field observation.The location of both Kurlun and Pokte Ranges were based on local perceptions, which were different from the locations indicated in the basemap. The numbers given to kharka 0-69) correspond to those in Table 1.Acknowledgements1deeply thank the many herders in the Ghunsa Valley, who accepted my visits to and stay in kharka and often assisted me intraveling from kharka to kharka. N.!.KHARKA OF THE GHUNSA VALLEY IN THE KANCHENJUNGACONSERVATION AREA IN EASTERN NEPAL HIMALAYA: DIVERSELOCATIONS OF CAMPSITES USED BY YAK/YAK-CATTLE HYBRID HERDERSIntroductionMobile pastoralists of yak/yak-cattle hybrids in the Hima-laya migrate from pasture to pasture within their territory,which often stretches along valleys surrounded by mountainridges higher than four or five thousand m as.l. This shortresearch note provides a view of the natural setting of thepastures used by yak/yak-cattle hybrid herders by describ-ing locations of "hharha". Kharha is a local term for mobilepastoralism in Nepal. The word indicates speCific sites inpasture, which herders repeatedly use as temporary accom-modations Kharha are the base for herders' daily activitiesincluding grazing Livestock are kept near hharha during thenight and milked there in the morningl.Data on locations of hharha were collected as part ofthe author's research conducted in the Kanchenjunga Conser-vation Area (KCA) in eastern Nepal, which focuses on migra-tion patterns in mobile pastoralism and the factors affectingthe patterns2 The Ghunsa Valley (Fig. I), one of the majorareas for yak/yak-cattle hybrid rearing in the KCA, is locatedat the northeast corner of Nepal. The author conducted thefield survey in the Ghunsa Valley for a total of eight and ahalf months in 1998 (October to November), 2000 (July toOctober), and 2001 (May to September). This research notedescribes and analyzes the distribution of hharha used byyak/yak-cattle hybrid herders in relation to altitude and gen-eral vegetation. In addition, this discussion examines someof the hharha locations in terms of the surrounding terrain.Vertical distribution of kharkaIn the Ghunsa Valley, there are four villages and one sub-sidiary village (Fig. I). Khanbachen (4,100 m)- the subsidiaryvillage- is located directly above the timberline (4,000 m). Itis used for temporary stays during crop-growing seasons bysome of the households who have their main houses in oneof the lower four villages. The inhabitants of the four villagesshare the area in the valley above Amcilesa (2,500 m) in termsof the territory of grazing3 There, the author identified 69 lo-cations of hharha used for stays by yak/yak-cattle hybrid herd-ers, among which 46 were confirmed by direct observationand interviews with the herders regarding their actual stays.The other 23 hharha had local names known among yak/yak-cattle hybrid herders, but did not appear on the routes of theiractual migrations. These hharha were identified as potentialcampsites (Figure 1 and Table 1). Nevertheless, there aresome other hharha, whose exact locations haven't been identi-fied yet, especially in the areas along the route from Gyabla toNango Pass and around the Kurlun and Pokte Ranges+The vertical distribution of hharha is described as the fol-lowing. Thirty-seven hharha, that is more than half of the 69kharka identified, are located in the altitudinal zone above4,000 and below 5,000 m, where alpine grasslands with shortshrubs (less than 0.5 m) are scattered in between rock walls,talus slopes and moraines (Photo 1). The shrubs are Rhododen-dron anthopogon, R. setosum, R. lepidotum, Potentilla Jruticosa,Juniperus indica, Hippophae tibetana, Lonicera myrt:!lus, L. sp.,Berberis sp., Spraea arcuata and so on.5 Major summer hharhaincluding Lhonak (4,760 m. No.6 in Fig. 1) and Ramtang(4,590 m. No. 10) are included in this zone. Among the other32 hharha, twenty-four are located in the altitudinal zoneabove 3,000 and below 4,000 m, which is basically coveredby forests. The forests are mostly coniferous forests, whichstand on the bottom of the U-shaped valley above the GhunsaVillage (3,400 m). Their dominant species are Abies spectabilis,Larix griffithiana, Betula uti/is and Juniperus indica (Shresthaand Ghimire 1996) Forests below the Phole Village (3,200m) are a mixture of coniferous trees mainly Abies spectabi/isand Tsuga dumosa and some broadleaf trees including Rhodo-dendron arboreum and Acer spp. Many of the grasslands in thiszone seem to have been transformed from forests by burningor clearing trees. Kharka in this zone are generally situated atsuch grasslands and used from autumn through spring. Thus,sixty-one out of the 69 kharka identified are located withinthe altitudinal range between 3,000 and 5,000 m.There are only five kharka identified in the altitudinal zonebelow 3,000 m. One of the possible reasons for the smallnumber is the author's surveys, which are biased to summerand autumn. Some unidentified kharka may exist, especiallyin the Kurlun and Pokte Ranges as well as the area around theAmcilesa village. However, it should be noted that the herd-ers who stay in kharka located below 3,000 m are generallyonly those who have herds of yak-cattle hybrid6 In actuality,all of the four kharka located below 3,000 m and identifiedas herders' actual campsites (No. 58, 62, 63, and 69 in Fig.I) are the campsites of hybrid herders from the villages ofGyabla (2,800 m) and Amcilesa (2,500 m) Including the areaaround the two villages, the altitudinal zone below 3,000 mis covered by evergreen broadleaf forests, which are mainlycomposed of Quercus semecarpifolia and Rhododendron arbo-reLlm. Quercus semecarpifolia is commonly known as a goodfodder tree species and is fed to yak-cattle hybrids as well asother kinds of livestock (e.g. Tsuchiya 1996).7 It is deducedthat the leaves of fodder trees available in this zone are fed toyak-cattle hybrids in the Ghunsa Valley too, espeCially in win-ter and early spring when grass is insufficient. On the otherhand, yak herders generally do not camp in kharka lower than3,000 m in the Ghunsa Valley even in winter.Only three kharha are identified in the altitudinal zoneabove 5,000 m, fewer than the number in the altitudinalzone below 3,000 m mentioned above. In spite of the factthat grasslands are found at altitudes up to 5,400 m, yak/yak-cattle hybrid herders rarely camp in the zone above 5,000m. The author's field observations and interviews with thelocal herders suggest two major reasons for such decisions byherders. One of the reasons is related to the availability of fuelresources necessary for herders to cook, to warm their tents/huts and to process the milk gathered from their livestock.They rely on trunks cut from shrubs as fuel resources. Themajor species the herders cut is Juniperus indica, whose upperlimit of distribution is approximately 5,000 m. The herderssay that they can collect sufficient wood from Juniperus indicawithout much difficulties when they stay in Ramtang (4,590m. No. 10 in Fig. 1) and that the collection becomes difficultafter they move to Lhonak (4,760 m. No.6). Therefore, theherders bring some fuel wood to Lhonak from lower areas priorto their stay in Lhonak, in order to guarantee the necessaryamounts of fuel wood for the period of their stay in Lhonak.Alternatively, some herders prepare dried livestock dung as apart of their fuel resources. Herders staying in kharka locatedabove 5,000 m, such as Zorkyu (5,020 m. No.2 in Fig. 1) andNo. Name Approximatealtitude (m)I Pum'llemU 52002 Zark-vu 5,0203 11lunakoo 4,9804 Tankonmu " 9405 ShaJl1zo 4,9006 Lhonak 4,7607 Tevon 50508 Zimbu·bari 4,8809 Shvllkllnba 4,8(,010 Ramtuno 4590II An id csa 4,50012 Ran!1Vonodelshll 4,750l3 Randam 428014 ,\tela 4,300IS Lunbachcl110 424016 RJlmduooshe 418017 Lunbasamba 4.79018 ~1idu 465019 llla~akadeel " 60020 TbanaklJo 4,55021 Ponmarko 4,54022 Thanakke 4,46023 Sruwnkoksa 4,40024 Umbutllnoll 4,35525 PuitiJ10a 430026 Sin!!in:ltl'le!lYOlll! 4,53027 Tscrsa 4.35028 Cbusbar 4.10029 Lumitin,,-a 4,28030 TonshollDuPPU 3,88031 Oa:loa 3.97032 Thanl"alimo 4,46033 HrcllLlI 4.36034 Ooksaho 4.22035 LlIl1nhuk (unncr) 3,900No. Name Approximlllcaltitude (m)36 Lannhuk !lower) 382037 NvukJa 3,72038 Tserl11lllun~ 3,75039 Hombu 360040 Sombra 3,62041 Cherukthan!!a 3,48042 TSLlnn!'utalJla 4.82043 Ghull,Sadu:H'll 4,52044 Molanf!l1111 3,80045 Tserlluk 4,36046 Cbudal1l" 4,33047 Doksllho 4,38048 Lunbllsamhll 4.08049 LalJkha 3.94050 Nvetuniul1g 3.80051 Kugyaksa 3.600~2 TanPllnna 3,72053 Yamlltari 3.51054 ~1otenlJuk {Seide 4.23055 Gvablashar 2.90056 Anibhuditse 325057 Sumdo 3.18058 POklJlllYvallllll' 2,98059 IVtzala 304060 Riousamba 316061 Namerin~ 3.10062 ZC)I1~rithanua 3,02063 ZonlHidelsha-2.98064 lllanl111Chel11o 2,94065 Surko <\,30066 Barshe 3,78067 Mulchok 3.62068 Puppa 3,30069 Panolini> 2,640Table 1. Names and approximate altitudes of Kharka (campsite)used by yak/yak· cattle hybrid herders in the Ghunsa Valley.Kharka listed were identified by the author's surveys in 1998,2000and 2001. Spellings of kharka names were decided by the authoraccording to the sounds pronounced by the local herders. Kharkaexpressed in boldface have been comfirmed as the campsites actuallyLlsed by yak/yak·callie hybrid herders. Other kharka are their poten-tial campsites. The numbers (1-69) correspond to those in Figure I..Teyon (5,050 m. No. 7) must put more effort into preparationof fuel resources. In this regard, the distribution of shrubs,especially Juniperus indica, is one of the important factorsinfluencing the herders' decisions regarding which kharkathey stay in. The negative impacts of low air temperatureagainst the process of dairy production is another interestinginfluence suggested by a yak herder who stayed in Teyon, thehighest kharka in the Ghunsa Valley actually used by yak/yak-cattle hybrid herders. The herder said that he wouldn't campat places higher than Teyon because dairy products would bedamaged. Daily minimum air temperature at Teyon duringAugust, when he stayed there, is estimated to be about 1 ornatural hazards. For example, Rangyongdel-sha (No. 12) is situated on a steep valley wall,where rockfalls are possible and, according tothe local herders, actually occurred in the past(Photo 1). Sometimes, a herder prefers to stayalone in a kharka like Rangyongdelsha nearhis household rather than stay with manyother households in a kharka like Ramtang9This allows the herder exclusive use of thegrasslands around the kharka. For that reason,herders sometimes take risks of being affectedby natural hazards.Trails between one kharka and another inthe alpine area are often difficult and dan-gerous especially in summer seasons, whenherders stay in the area. Rivers rise with melt-water from glaciers and monsoon rains. Thisincreases the danger and difficulties of themigration routes the herders use when mov-ing from the Khanbachen Village to kharkalocated at the opposite bank of the main valley(No. 11, 14, 26, 27, and 28 in Fig. 1). Thereare also frequent rockfalls on the talus slopealong the trail between Ramtang (No. 10) andRandam (No. 13). Similarly, the trail betweenthe Khanbachen Village and Lanphuk (No. 35) often servesdebris flows after rainfalls (Photo 3). Severe terrain combinedwith a rainy climate often causes herders physical hardshipsAnidesa Kharka (4,500 m No. 11 in Fig. 1) is situated in the small grassland in the center ofthis photo. The photo is taken from upstream of the Ghunsa Valley. There is a moraine on theright-hand side and a talus slope on the left-hand side. On the steep slope of the valley wallacross the valley floor from the Anidesa Kharka, Rangyongdelsha Kharka (4,750 m No. 12) isseen near the waterfall. (June 2001)1.5 degrees C, on the basis of air temperature data observedat Lhonak once an hour using a self-recording thermometerplaced in a ventilated small shelter8 Although the authorcould not verify the influence of air temperatureagainst the process of dairy production, itseems to be one of the possible factors limitingthe altitudinal location of kharka. Thus, it hasbeen noted that there are some factors limitingupward migration of yak/yak-cattle hybridherders above the altitude of 5,000 m in theGhunsa Valley and that those factors seem to berelated more to human survival rather than theanimals they graze. It should also be noted thatherders who attempt to make use of the kharkalocated at the altitudes close to 5,000 m (No.2, 7, 9, and 42 in Fig. 1) are all yak herders. Incontrast, hybrid herders do not stay in kharkahigher than Lhonak (4,760 m. No.6)Landforms around kharkaKharka with flat grasslands, such as the oneseen in Ramtang (No. 10 in Fig. 1) (Photo 2),are limited to speCific sites in the Ghunsa Val-ley. Instead, most kharka are situated in narrowgrasslands on rough terrain, such as moraines,talus slopes, and rock walls. Some of thosekharka have the potential of being affected byPHOTO 2 KHARKA WITH RELATIVELY LARGE AND FLAT GRASSLAND.A flat grassland as large as this is precious in the Ghunsa Valley. Every year, the use of RamtangKharka (4,590 m No. 10 in Fig. 1) is controlled by voluntary regulation effective among the localherders. The kharka was opened for herders' stay in late July and eight households were stayingthere at the time of the photo. (August 2000)ConclusionsThis research note attempts to describe the nat-ural setting of the grazing area of yak/yak-cattlehybrid herders in the Ghunsa Valley. Wide altitu-dinal range of kharka locations, which cover thewhole valley, suggests the local herders' intend touse various fodder resources in their territory. Onthe other hand, dangerous settings of alpine pas-tures indicate the hardships of the yak/yak-cattlehybrid herder life in the Ghunsa Valley.'An English expression similar to "kharka" in meaningwould be "campsite of herder".'Some parts of the research results on migration patternswere reported in Ikeda and Ono (2004). The author is prepar-ing another manuscript on the subject for publication with theresults of comprehensive analysis of the factors affecting thepatterns (Ikeda 2005).PHOTO 3 TRAIL SEVERED BY A RECENT DEBRIS FLOWThe trail between Khanbachen (4,100 m) and Lanphuk Kharka O,900m No. 35 in Fig. 1)is one of the dangerous spots throughout the hving space of the herders in the GhunsaValley. The trail across the slope is completely washed out by a debris !low at the end ofthe monsoon season. (September 2001)'Most of the lands in the Ghunsa Valley are administrative-ly the lands of Lelep Village Development Committee (VDC), to which thevillages of Ghunsa, Phole, Gyabla, and Amcilesa belong. Exceptionally, thearea covering Kurlun and Pokte Ranges administratively belongs to otherVDC. According to the herders of the Ghunsa Valley, however, they hadnever paid fees for using the pastures in the Kurlun and Pokte Ranges atleast until the time of author's survey.4Birtunga is one of those unidentified kharka, but it is one of the impor-tant summer kharka located above the Gyabla Village.'All of these shrub species in the alpine zone were identified at the Na-tional Herbarium and Plant Laboratories in Godawari, Kathmandu, epa!.·Compared to yak herders, hybrid herders were a minority in the GhunsaValley at the time of the author's survey. The number of households rear-ing yak-cattle hybrids was about one third of the total number of herders'households in the Ghunsa Valley. The other two thirds were the householdsrearing yak herds.'The author also observed the utilization of the leaves of Quercus sem-ecarpifolia as fodder for yak-cattle hybrids in the Bharku Village in RasuwaDistrict, eastern Nepal (Ikeda 1998; Ikeda, unpublished data)."Daily minimum air temperature at Lhonak averaged for the month ofAugust in 2000 and 2001 was 2.8 and 3.2 degrees C respectively. The al-titudinal difference between Lhonak (4,760 m) and Teyon (5,050 m) is ap-proximately 300 m. Therefore, the air temperature of Teyon is expected tobe about 1.5 to 2.0 degrees C lower than at Lhonak.9In 2000, a household of yak herder stayed in Rangyongdelsha for 16days when other households stayed in Ramtang.REFERENCESAsahi, K. and Watanabe, T. 2000. Past and recent glacier fluctuationsin Kanchenjunga Himal, Nepal. Journal of Nepal Geological Society22 481-90.Ikeda, N. 1998. Patterns of transhumance and its relation toenvironmental factors aroundGosainkunda area, Langtang Himal, central Nepal. Master's Thesis,Hokkaido University, Japan: 30 pp.Ikeda, N. 2005. Mobile pastoralism of yak/yak-cattle hybrids inthe Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, eastern Nepal Himalaya:Migration patterns, sustainability of fodder resource use, andtheir relationship to conservation policy. PhO thesis, HokkaidoUniversity, Japan: 130 pp.Ikeda, N. and Ono, y. 2004. Migration patterns in mobile pastoralismof yak/yak-cattle hybrid and mountain tourism in eastern NepalHimalaya. Journal of Geography 113(2): 294-311. (in Japanese withEnglish abstract)Shrestha, K. K. and Ghimire, S. K. 1996. Plant diversity inventory ofthe proposed Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (Ghunsa and SimbuaValleys) (WWF Nepal Program Report Series 22). Unpublishedreport, WWF Nepal Program, Kathmandu, Nepal: 66 pp.Tsuchiya, K. 1996. Comments on vegetation and cattle in NepalHimalayas. TropiCS 5(3): 227-242. 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Kharka of the Ghunsa Valley in the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area in Eastern Nepal Himalaya:  Diverse Locations of Campsites Used by Yak/Yak-cattle Hybrid Herders

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Kharka of the Ghunsa Valley in the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area in Eastern Nepal Himalaya: Diverse Locations of Campsites Used by Yak/Yak-cattle Hybrid Herders

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