High altitude pasture management is very important particularly for the sustainability of hilly livestock. There is always a competition of different livestock in high altitude area for grasses and fodder tree.

1. High Altitude Pasture Management in
Hill Ecosystem
Vijay Paul & Sapunii S Hanah
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
National Research Centre on Yak
Dirang - 790101, West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh

2. Livestock rearing on Hills
• Livestock rearing on free-
ranges/pastures is an age-old and
integral component of land use
system of high hill Ecosystem.
• Livestock particularly yak, yak-
cattle hybrids, hill cattle, mithun,
sheep, goat, buffaloes, camel and
horses are reared by pastoral
nomads for their food and
livelihood security.
• These animals are inherently
associated with the culture,
religion and social-life of the
pastoral nomads.

3. • Around 20.5 million heads of livestock are reared by various pastoral
communities on about 18.46,000 ha permanent pastures and grazing
lands in Indian Himalayas and trans-Himalayas.
Livestock raised under either Transhumance, semi-
sedentary & sedentary system of farming in Indian
Himalaya

4. Summer grazing
Winter grazing
Lush pastures
Dry pastures & tree fodder
Pasture based Eco-friendly livestock farming
2. Grasslands
1. Livestock
3. Nomads

5. Hill Livestock
Yak Goat & Sheep
Double hump camel Dzo/Dzomo/hill cattle
Buffaloes
Altitude and Livestock
Hybrid cattle

6. Grasslands/pastures
Temperate pastures with tree fodder
Alpine pastures
Sub-alpine pastures

7. Nomads/
Pastoral communities
• Changpas
• Brokpas
• Dokpas
• Gujjar
• Gaddi
• Bakarwal
Brokpas
Gujjars
Changpas
Gaddis

8. Transhumance , semi-sedentary &
sedentary system of farming
• In summer, animals graze on highland
pastures.
• During winter, the animal return to area
nearby their respective villages at lower
altitude.
Pasture Utilization

9. Summer pasture
Winter pasture
Yak rearing

10. Housing of the
nomads rearers
• Temporary housing
during migration
• Wooden/bamboo huts for
longer stay

11. Livestock rearing in cold
arid region of Ladakh
• Annual precipitation is <10cm
• Arid alpine pastures fed by
glacier melts

12. Livestock of cold arid
region of Ladakh
• Pashmina goat
• Sheep
• Local cattle
• Yak
• Camel
• Horse & donkeys

13. Fodder resources available
in cold arid region of
Ladakh
• Alpine pasture grasses
• Salix tree leaves
• Lucerne hay
• Crop residues

14. Eco-tourism and pastures
• Eco-tourism and riding
• Himalayan expeditions
• Trekking & camping
Human (tourists)-
Livestock (highland &
pack animals) interactions

15. Livestock – wildlife interaction disease
transmission & pasture utilization
• High altitude pastures are unique
due to wildlife and climatic
dynamics
• Animals carrying infection from
low lands could potentially
transmit the diseases to wild
ungulates during sharing same
high altitude grazing land.
>> Transmission of diseases across the border
>> Depletion of biomass due to grazing
competition

16. Pastures grasses & Tree Fodders
• Some of the natural
growing edible grass
species found in the
alpine/temperate pastures
are:
– Kyllinga monocephala
– Poa annua
– Fimbristylis squarrosa
– Eragrostis spp.
– Alopecurus spp.
– Pogonatherum crinitium
– Eriochloa spp
• Tree leaves are fed primarily
during the fodder scarcity
period. The locally available tree
fodder are:
– Blemkar (Buddleja asiatica)
– Domkar (Symplocos racemosa)
– Salix (Salix humboldtiana)
– Syluli (Acer campbellii)
– Maar (Castanopsis spp.)
– Zimbu (Ligustrum myrsinitis)
– Phrengpa (Quercus wallichiana)
– Dudhilo (Ficus nemorlis)
– Chiple (Reevesia pubescens)
Pasture Grasses Tree Fodder

17. Modern developments
Rumex
Feed & Fodder Challenges under hill husbandry
Overgrazing
Encroachment of pastures
by unwanted plants
• Degradation of the natural
pastures /grasslands
Increased grazing pressure
– In arid conditions: 1-4ACU/ha/yr against
the normal carrying capacity of 0.2 –
0.5ACU/ha/yr)
–In western & eastern Himalayas the
grazing pressure is 2.5 to 4.7 times greater
than the carrying capacity)
• Scarcity of fodder specially
during winters

19. PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Grazing management , pasture establishment & rejuvenation
• Suitable temperate grasses and legumes should be tested for
their adaptability for establishing new pastures or rejuvenate
the degrading pastures.
• A good pasture should aim at 20-30% legume component in
total herbage.
Legume and one grass mix
Legume and two grasses mix Legume and grass mix pasture
Legume pasture
Grass pasture
Legume pasture
Grass pasture

20. Grazing management
• Uncontrolled or
Overgrazing
• >> Depletion of Vegetation
• >> Degradation of natural
pastures
• Grazing must be regulated
>> Fencing of pasture
>> Rotational grazing
>> Restricted grazing on
selected pastures sites

21. Fencing of Pasture Land
Rotational
Grazing
Water
Water
Water

22. Best time to graze
Vegetative
growth
Stem
elongation
Early
heading
for
seed
formation

23. Pasture Establishment & Rejuvenation: Different
Strategies
• Grass-legume balance:
– Suitable temperate grasses and legumes can be grown for establishing new
pastures and regeneration of degrading pastures (20-30% legume component).
• Reseeding and Transplanting with better forage grass species:
– Seeds & root slips

24. Some suitable temperate grasses & legumes for
pasture development
Dactylis glomerata L. Lolium perenne L. Setaria sphacelata
Festuca arundinacea Phleum pratense Trifolium repens

25. Establishment of temperate pastures in Sikkim
Grass seedlings Grass sapling transplantation
Grasses growing in test plots

26. Establishment of temperate pastures for sedentarization of yak
rearers in Arunachal Pradesh

27. Bio-fencing
Salix plantation at tree trunk
Dactylis glomerata Weeding

28. Weed control, water and fertilizer management of pastures

29. Dactylis glomerata
Trifolium repens Seed production

30. Pasture development on hilly slope

31. Experimental plot of Dactylis glomerata
at NRC on yak farm Nyukmadung
Average Yield 250-300qt./ha

32. • Maintain optimum
biomass & pasture
quality
• Maintain proper
grazing or
harvesting height
• Assessment of
forage yield
Average grazing height: 5cm to 15cm

33. Silvopastures
Salix and white clover
Silvopasture combines trees with forage and
livestock production

34. Plant growth and above ground biomass production (at
first cut) of Dactylis glomerata in different trial plots
Field Location Altitude
(msl)
Average
no. of
stems per
plant hill
Average
plant
height
(in
inch)
Fresh
biomass
(kg/m2)
Plant
growth
Rabum (North
Sikkim)
1850 m 24 21.0 0.160 Excellent
Lachung (N. Sikkim) 2600 m 18 18.0 0.132 Good
Zeema (N. Sikkim) 3000 m 23 18.0 0.140 Very good
Yhathang (N.
Sikkim)
3650 m 6 7.0 - Poor
Lhagyala Gonpa
(Arunachal Pradesh)
2800 m 26 30.9 0.273 Excellent
Merkmu (Arunachal 3000 m 56 29.6 0.825 Excellent

35. Hybrid Napier
Other green forage
Aruna grass Maize

36. Cultivated green fodder
Maize Oats

37. Experimental plot of Oat as a mono-
cropping and alley cropping with Salix
Yield at 1st cut is 314 qt./ha

38. Artificial glaciers for pasture and
cropping in Trans-Himalayas
• Arid alpine pastures fed by glacier
melts
• In cold arid region, the glacier melt
water from high altitude could be
diverted and captured at lower altitude
during the onset winter by making
artificial glaciers under shady areas.

39. Summary
• Livestock rearing on high altitude is
an Eco-friendly & sustainable
farming system practiced by the
transhumant nomads.
• The pasture grass and herbages along
with the tree fodder are major feed
resources to sustain the livestock
husbandry in high altitude mountains
….>>> their Judicious use.
• Degrading pastures should be
rejuvenated through introducing
suitable high yielding and palatable
grasses.
Thank you