Ladakh Admin Launches Changthang Vision Report Forconservation, Sustainable Livelihoods

LEH/JAMMU, Oct 9: The Ladakh administration has launched the ‘Changthang Visioning Report’ to promote a shared approach towards conservation, wildlife protection and sustainable livelihoods, recognising the ecological, cultural and socio-economic significance of the region’s high-altitude rangelands, officials said on Friday.

Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra attended the launch of the report, titled “Vision from the Highlands: Building a Shared Future for Rangelands, Wildlife and Communities”, at The Grand Dragon in Leh on Thursday.

The report seeks to provide a shared direction for the future of Changthang, placing healthy rangelands, thriving wildlife and resilient pastoral communities at the centre of long-term conservation and sustainable development, they said.

The initiative assumes added significance as 2026 is being observed as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, highlighting the ecological, cultural and livelihood importance of rangelands and the communities that have sustained them over generations, they said.

The event brought together representatives of the administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, conservation and academic institutions, pastoral communities, youth and women’s groups, religious leaders and other stakeholders to deliberate on a sustainable future for Changthang.

The visioning process brought together diverse stakeholders to discuss the interconnected future of rangelands, wildlife, pastoral livelihoods, cultural traditions and community well-being.

Changthang, meaning “eastern flat land,” is a vast, high-altitude region of eastern Ladakh bordering China, renowned as the homeland of the nomadic Changpa community.

Also known as the Rupsho Valley, the region is characterised by its expansive cold-desert landscapes, rugged mountains and pristine high-altitude lakes.

Its unique ecological richness, rare bird species and diverse wildlife, along with the traditional lifestyle, rich cultural heritage and pastoral traditions of the Changpa nomads, make Changthang one of Ladakh’s most distinctive and fascinating landscapes.