Tuesday, Oct 27, 2026 11:15 [IST]
Last Update: Tuesday, Oct 27, 2026 05:40 [IST]
GANGTOK,: The Sikkim government will organise a three-day
Himalayan Yak Festival from October 27 to 29 to celebrate the State’s highland
heritage, recognise yak herders and promote conservation of fragile Himalayan
ecosystems.
The festival will be organised by the
department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services with Ashoka Trust for
Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) as a major collaborator,
informs a press release.
The event aims to highlight the role of yak
rearing in sustaining traditional livelihoods, preserving cultural practices
and supporting the highland economy, while drawing attention to the challenges
faced by herding communities.
Yak herding has been an integral part of
Sikkim's mountain heritage for generations, with communities developing
specialised knowledge and practices suited to the region's demanding
high-altitude conditions.
Beyond its economic significance, the yak
represents a way of life shaped by mountain ecosystems, local traditions and
the close relationship between people and nature.
ATREE, through its Himalaya Initiative, is
collaborating on the festival as part of a broader effort to link traditional
yak herding with biodiversity conservation, community participation and
sustainable livelihood opportunities.
The collaboration is part of a project titled
“Snow Leopard Conservation through Community-led Yak Herding, Cultural
Revitalization, and Landscape Restoration in Highland Ecosystem of
Lachen-Lachung, North Sikkim and Yuksam-Dzongri, West Sikkim”, funded by the
Eicher Group Foundation.
The project seeks to strengthen the links
between traditional herding practices, snow leopard conservation and the
restoration of high-altitude landscapes, placing community knowledge and
participation at the centre of conservation efforts.
It also explores ways to improve livelihood
opportunities through sustainable hospitality, environmentally responsible
operations, nature interpretation and community-based enterprise development.
The initiative aims to help local communities
benefit from emerging economic opportunities while preserving the cultural and
ecological values of Sikkim's highland regions.
The festival also creates an opportunity to
recognise yak herders as central to the continuity of mountain traditions. “Their
experiences and knowledge offer valuable perspectives on living with
high-altitude environments, managing livestock and navigating the changing
conditions that affect mountain livelihoods. Encouraging younger generations to
recognise the value of yak herding will be important to keeping these
traditions alive,” the organisers said.
“The Sikkim Himalayan Yak Festival is an
opportunity to celebrate an animal deeply associated with Himalayan life,
recognise the people who continue to rear it, and encourage a wider
conversation about the future of highland livelihoods and conservation.
At its heart, the festival is a celebration
of Sikkim’s mountain communities and their enduring relationship with the
landscape. It seeks to ensure that yak herding, along with the knowledge and
cultural traditions it carries, continues to receive the recognition it
deserves,” the release adds.
