How do herders use the pastures of the Hindu Kush?

Herders in the Hindu Kush utilize the region's diverse mountain pastures through a practice known as transhumance, which involves the seasonal migration of livestock between high-altitude summer grazing lands and lower-altitude areas for the winter.12

These herders, which include groups such as Pashtun nomads and other valley-dwelling inhabitants, drive large numbers of sheep and goats to these remote mountain pastures to fully utilize available forage. In addition to grazing, some of these pastures are occasionally cultivated during the summer months by both local and transhumant populations.321

This pastoral system is essential to the regional economy, as evidenced by the annual movement of thousands of animals from the high pastures of Badakhshān toward major markets like Kabul. While the northern slopes generally offer more limited vegetation, the higher slopes in the western portion of the range provide critical grazing grounds for these migratory herds.21