How do herders in Jammu and Kashmir use seasonal movement between mountain pastures and lowlands?

In the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, herders practice a form of seasonal migration known as transhumance. This practice involves the movement of livestock between higher mountain pastures during the summer and lower regions during the winter to ensure the survival and productivity of their flocks.12

The seasonal movement serves several critical economic and survival functions:

• Forage and Production: Herders migrate to higher altitudes in the spring and summer to provide their livestock with the necessary forage. This grazing allows the animals to produce milk and clarified butter (ghee), which are then sold in southern lowland markets.1
• Winter Adaptation: During the winter months, when high-altitude pastures are often too cold or inaccessible, these communities return to lower elevations. In these lower areas, they may engage in other work, such as labor in government-owned forests and timber mills.1
• Community Specialization: Specific groups, such as the Bakarwal, specialize in rearing goats and sheep, while the Gujjar traditionally migrate with their homesteads (deras) to herd buffalo.2

This cycle allows pastoralists to utilize diverse ecological zones that would otherwise be unproductive for grazing throughout the entire year.31