How does transhumance work among livestock herders in Uttarakhand?

In Uttarakhand, transhumance is a traditional practice of seasonal livestock migration driven by the search for flourishing grasslands. This form of pastoralism involves herders moving their livestock to higher-altitude mountain pastures during the warmer summer months to take advantage of seasonal vegetation growth. As winter approaches and these high-altitude areas become too cold or inaccessible, the livestock are transferred to lower elevations.12

This practice is particularly associated with specific pastoral communities in the region, such as the Gujjar, who traditionally migrate with their deras (homesteads or camps) between the high Himalayas in the summer and lower districts in the winter. While some communities have historically specialized in this seasonal herding, many pastoralists in India have increasingly settled into occupations like agriculture and business due to changing land-use policies, restricted access to forest grazing lands, and broader socioeconomic shifts.31