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Cold
Desert & Dry Temperate
Areas
The dry temperate and cold desert
areas, covering Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, are
a part of the Great and Inner Himalayan chainsle. The population
declines as one goes up the valleys as agricult. They are characterised
by lofty ranges, massive rock-walls, bare ridges, extensive glaciers
and snow fields. The valleys of various dimensions lie between
the crests of the great ranges. The dry temperate areas have high
precipitation, largely in the form of snow. The cold desert lies
in the rain shadow of the Himalayas. It is home to about 0.14
million peopural and forest lands decrease.
The subtle physiographic and climatological differences create
a fine mosaic of micro-environments and the attendant land types
having profound effect on the area's ecology. The three important
land types are : (a) alpine pastures; (b) forests; and (c ) cultivated
lands. These occur as altitudinal belts in a sequence from the
top. Miscellaneous and cultivable wastelands occur as interspersed
areas between them.
Alpine
Pastures
:
These lie between tree and snow line at altitudes of 4000-5000
meters. They are suitable for cultivation and constitute a habitat
for domestic and wild grazing animals. These extensive pasture
lands are one of the finest grazing grounds and have been, traditionally,
the mainstay for a multitude of livestock during the summer months
after the snowmelt. Besides the livestock put to pasture for 3-4
months by local grazers on a regular basis, a large number of
goats and sheep is also brought in by nomadic shepherds. The pressure
on these pastures have increased after the sealing of the international
border with China. Earlier, the grazers used to cross over with
their flocks to the Tibetan plateau.
The productivity of pastures have suffered considerably due to
livestock pressure on them beyond their carrying capacity coupled
with sheer neglect of their management requirements. Soil erosion
and nutrient loss problems do not permit sustenance of meaningful
grass cover. The continuous grazing of replaceable grass species,
without allowing adequate time for regeneration, has suppressed
their growth and led to proliferation of undesirable ones. The
pastures located at lower elevations are more degraded as they
are frequented by larger number of animals. The depth of fertile
top soil is considerably reduced and at places completely removed.
Unless corrective measures are taken early, these pastures will
jeopardise the efforts to strengthen the much needed animal husbandry
programme.
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