A community-led process is reshaping conservation and livelihoods in the high-altitude plateau of Changthang.

At over 13,000 feet above sea level, change is in the air.

On 25 June 2025, a rare and powerful gathering took place in Leh, Ladakh. More than a hundred participants—ranging from nomadic herders and elected representatives to wildlife officials and scientists—came together to chart a new course for the conservation and sustainable development of the vast rangelands of the Changthang plateau.

This multi-stakeholder visioning meeting, facilitated by WWF-India with generous support from the Darwin Initiative, marked a watershed moment: the first-time pastoralists, women's groups, youth leaders, and key government departments sat together to reflect, listen, and imagine the future of Ladakh's rangelands—together.



The meeting concluded with a powerful and unanimous endorsement of a shared vision for rangeland conservation and co-existence, and broad consensus on the formation of a Rangeland Council—a proposed institutional platform to support community-led governance in the region.

Rangelands at a crossroads
Ladakh's rangelands span over 80% of its landmass and are not just grasslands—they are living repositories of culture, ecology, and economy. The region is covered with wetlands, lakes, and pasturelands, providing a rich habitat for diverse flora and fauna, including the snow leopard, Tibetan wolves, and blue sheep. It is also an important breeding ground for many bird species. The rangelands form the backbone of life and livelihood for the Changpa, Ladakh's nomadic community, sustaining their herds, shaping their seasonal rhythms, and anchoring their cultural and spiritual identity in these high-altitude landscapes.

For centuries, the Changpas have stewarded these landscapes through systems of rotational grazing, shared water governance, and deep spiritual connection to land.



But this heritage is under growing pressure. Climate change is drying springs and shrinking grazing grounds. Conflicts with snow leopards, wolves, and feral dogs are eroding herders' livelihoods. Youth are migrating, traditional knowledge is fading, and institutions often overlook the voices of those most rooted in the landscape.

Against this backdrop, communities and institutions recognise the need for a different approach centred on listening, co-creation, and long-term resilience.

A year of listening, mapping, and imagining

In response, WWF-India undertook a deep participatory visioning process across 13 villages and 11 hamlets in Nyoma and Durbuk blocks over four years beginning in 2020. Over 1,000 community members—herders, women, youth, and Tibetan refugee herders—participated through storytelling, mapping, women's circles, and youth drawings.

What emerged was a clear and unified voice:
- Restore degraded rangelands using native grasses and rotational grazing practices
- Improve livestock protection through predator-proof corrals and veterinary access
- Recognise pastoralism as a conservation-compatible livelihood
- Rebuild pashmina value chains and market linkages
- Revive cultural traditions and spiritual ties to the land
- Invest in youth-led enterprises, education, and ecological leadership

At its heart, the community vision is about self-determination—a future where conservation is rooted in cultural continuity, and development is shaped by local aspirations.

The Rangeland Council
At the recent meeting in Leh, this vision received full endorsement from all stakeholders—including the Departments of Animal Husbandry, Wildlife, Forests, and Rural Development, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), and herders' representatives from across Changthang.

Among the key outcomes was a collective commitment to establish a Rangeland Council for Ladakh—a multi-stakeholder platform that will coordinate and implement agreed priorities aligned with the economic, ecological, and cultural aspirations of the people of Changthang.

While the council is not yet formally established, its principles and structure were widely endorsed, and a roadmap for its institutionalisation is under development.

This shared vision, anchored in community voice and supported by government partners, represents a rare moment of convergence—and an opportunity for transformative change.

WWF-India's role: Facilitator, listener, bridge
Throughout this journey, WWF-India has served as a catalyst—building trust, facilitating dialogue, and documenting the aspirations of pastoral communities. The process was guided by respect for indigenous knowledge, intergenerational equity, and landscape-level conservation.

"This visioning process is a powerful reminder that the people who live closest to nature often hold the deepest insights into how to protect it. What we witnessed in Changthang was not just consultation—it was co-creation. WWF-India is privileged to stand with the pastoral communities of Ladakh in reimagining conservation as a partnership rooted in trust, tradition, and shared stewardship”— Dr. Sejal Worah, Programme Director, WWF-India.

Critically, this work has been made possible through the Darwin Initiative, whose support has enabled sustained community engagement, cross-sectoral collaboration, and an enduring commitment to rangeland stewardship.

"Our goal is not to bring solutions from the outside" said Rishi Kumar Sharma, Head of WWF-India's Himalaya programme. "It is to create space for communities to articulate their own future—and ensure institutions are listening".
 

What comes next
The shared vision has now entered the implementation phase. WWF-India, with community and government partners, is supporting:
- A five-year roadmap for rangeland restoration and co-management
- Pilot initiatives on predator-proof corrals, youth fellowships, and pasture mapping
- Policy convergence around economic, ecological and cultural aspirations
- Continued facilitation of dialogue between herders, line departments, and conservation actors

"This is not the end" said one young herder from Hanle Buk. "It is the beginning of being seen and shaping what comes next".