A new order from Himachal’s forest department brings relief to pastoralists – but only partially

Every year, around April, as the summer approaches, Mohammad Sehan and his family migrate with their sheep, goats and buffaloes from their home in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district, to the higher ranges in the district, where his livestock grazes on alpine pastures.

Then, by September, just as the chill starts to set in, his family begins the return journey, sometimes moving further to lower plains and foothills of Punjab for winter fodder. It is a route that many in his Gujjar community are well versed with, one that has been traversed by many generations.

In recent years, however, lands from these routes have been diverted, not just for roads and hydroprojects, but also for plantation activities by the forest department. “There used to be empty areas for us to tie our buffaloes and rest for the night,” Sehan said. “Now those areas have been diverted. We end up taking rest on the roads, which has also resulted in losses of our livestock and men due to accidents.”

A letter written in January by Himachal Pradesh’s top forest officer has brought into focus this longstanding tension between afforestation efforts in the state and the needs and rights of its pastoral communities.

In the letter, dated January 24, the state’s...

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