LocationsPeace on the Peaks
January 9, 2025
A crowdfunding campaign aims to help remote highland communities in Bhutan live in harmony with wildlife.
In the heart of Bhutan’s highlands, where the air is thin and the land rugged, the yak stands as a symbol of resilience and grace, embodying the very spirit of our highlanders. These majestic creatures, with their thick, warm coats and steady gait, are more than just animals; they are the lifeblood of the highlanders.
'Peace on the Peaks' aims to help preserve Bhutan’s cherished tradition and support the remote highland communities that rely on the yak for their livelihoods. Every donation, big or small, will make a meaningful impact in sustaining the bond between the highlanders and these majestic creatures.
Providing warmth from their wool, sustenance from their milk, sometimes even meat, and a steadfast companion in the harshest of climates, yaks carry the weight of their owners' hopes and dreams on their sturdy backs, transporting goods and connecting remote communities. To the highlanders, the yak is not just a source of livelihood but a cherished member of the family, a silent guardian, and an ornament of the highland.
'Peace on the Peaks' aims to help preserve Bhutan’s traditions and support highland communities that rely on the yak for their livelihoods.
However, the decline in the yak population remains a great concern. Since 2019, Bhutan has recorded 22 percent drop in yak herding households and 28 percent decline in yak population (National Statistics Bureau 2022). Common reasons for the decline in yak population are mortality of yaks due to inadequate feed resources, gid disease and wildlife predation, among others.
"Due to competing priorities including economic recovery due to pandemics, as well as the shrinking global Official Development Assistance (ODA) environment, creative finance options for development have emerged as an alternate development financing solution."
The initiative also seeks to protect yak predators, including snow leopards, which are critical in balancing mountain ecosystems. Photo: UNDP Bhutan
Annually, 159 yaks are killed by wild animals, the majority of them being calves. This also results in the threat of retaliatory killings of the wild predators, mainly snow leopards. This elusive species is critical in balancing our mountain ecosystems, including water catchment areas.
“As Yak herders, we live a tough life, relocating almost every year and staying up all night guarding our yaks from bears, tigers, snow leopards, wild dogs and Himalayan wolves,” says Damcho Tshering of the Laya Yak Association.
A total of 149 Bhutanese highland families, more than 2,000 calves and 134 snow leopards are targeted through the crowdfunding campaign. The focus is on promoting human-wildlife co-existence in the highlands by shielding yaks with portable iron mesh, and at the same time protecting the snow leopards.
In the highlands of Bhutan, the yak stands as a symbol of resilience and grace.
Crowdfunding requires thorough planning, a well-defined plan of action, many backup plans, and an efficient communication strategy to be successful. In Bhutan, people customarily come together for religious gatherings and give substantial sums of money. This is an attempt to use and accept the digital crowdsourcing approach towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Every support counts towards creating ‘Peace on the Peaks’. Regardless of the amount, even simple posts on social media, will have huge role in addressing human-wildlife conflict in the highlands of Bhutan.
All donations will be used for procuring and distributing portable iron mesh to 149 households in collaboration with the local governments and community yak associations.
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