Yak Herding as the Main Source of Livelihood: Examining Challenges and Opportunities of Highlanders in Bhutan

Questionnaire based semi-structured interview was conducted to identify the main challenges and opportunities of yak herding within the different regions and examined the cost-benefit of herding yaks within the premises of nomadic herder’s livelihood sustenance. [...] In east Asia, people from diverse regions, extending from the southern slopes of the Himalayas to the Hangai mountains of Mongolia and Russia in the north, and from Pamir Plateau in the west to the Qilian mountains in the east depend on yak farming (Qi et al., 2008). [...] the number of households herding yaks, the total number of yaks) and transhumance practices over the previous ten years, and the 79 Journal of Bhutan Studies, Vol.48, 2023 long-term commitment to yak farming varied among the gewogs (Figure 2). [...] Alternative income sources appeared to have a major impact on the yak population, the number of households owning yaks, and traditional transhumance practice leading to the gradual disappearance of yak farming in most of the mountain communities. [...] Furthermore, the decline in the yak population and the number of yak-owning households in Chhoekhor and Sephu could lead to a loss of traditional knowledge and cultural practices associated with yak farming.