Howling winds, cold night temperatures and frigid winters with temperatures dropping to -50°C. This is the cold arctic desert of which so little is known. Hardly ideal conditions for life, one might imagine, but even here nature has been able to create a diversity of plant and animal life whose ability to economise and optimize resources is itself a strategy for survival.

Trans means the other side of, or beyond. Trans-Himalaya, means beyond the Himalaya. In the Indian region of Ladakh in Jammu & Kashmir state, and in Lahaul-Spiti of Himachal Pradesh, the Trans-Himalaya covers an estimated land area of 186,200 sq. km. Conditions similar to those existing in the Trans-Himalaya, are also found in the extreme northern parts of the states of Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim, but the areas are small in extent and have therefore been included in the Himalayan Zone. Outside the Indian region, the Trans-Himalaya is very extensive, covering a total of nearly 2.6 million sq. km. comprising the Tibetan plateau. The entire zone is a high-altitude cold desert, altitudes varying between 4,500 to above 6,600 metres above mean sea level (msl). It is a sparsely populated domain, the Indian population being approximately 2.5 lakhs.

Though the area accounts for just over five per cent of the country's total land area, its value is tremendous as a drainage and feeder region for some of the greatest Indian river systems such as the Indus, Brahmaputra and Sutlej, as well as the Yangtse in China. Three mountain ranges, the Zanskar, Ladakh and the Karakoram, dominate the Trans-Himalaya. All these ranges lie in the rain-shadow region to the north. Their generally east-west running ridges, interspersed with some of the world's highest mountains and immense glaciers with river valleys cutting through them, create a sparsely vegetated terrain of great biological grandeur.

In the eastern extremity of the Trans-Himalaya, the Zanskar and the Ladakh ranges fade away into the southern margins of the Tibetan plateau. Here begins a huge, brackish marsh and lake ecosystem which houses water bodies like Tso Morari, Hanle and Chushul -- home to some very threatened fauna, the best known being the Black-necked Crane which breeds in these bogs and marshes. The northern and westem parts of the zone in the Indian region lie mainly above the snowline, and this area includes Siachen, an 1,180 sq. km. glacier said to be the largest outside the polar regions! Despite being 'resource poor' the politics of security make the Trans-Himalaya and Himalaya very sought after. Over 100,000 sq. km. of Indian territory is, consequently, in the possession of Pakistan and China.

Biology of the Trans-Himalaya in India

The Trans-Himalaya cold desert is included in the Oriental zoo-geographic realm, though biologically it conforms largely to the Palaearctic. The landscape is characterised by a distinct lack of natural forests, the vegetation being primarily sparse alpine steppe, showing a high degree of endemism (only found locally). Along the river banks and valleys in Ladakh, some greenery does exist with willows, poplars, wild roses and many herbaceous plants and shrubs having colonised the land, and even extended up the mountain slopes. Most of the vegetation is, however, stunted.

Though the environment here appears harsh and inhospitable, a wealth of animal life exists. The largest number of wild sheep and goats in the world, are for instance, found here. Eight distinct species and/or sub-species have been recorded including the nayan or great Tibetan sheep (Ovis ammon hodgsoni), the urial or shapu (Ovis orientalis), the bharal or blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) and the ibex (Capra ibex).

Found on the plateaux of the Trans-Himalaya, and in a small part of eastern Ladakh, are one species each of an antelope and a gazelle. The Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsoni), which is better known as the chiru, is a little animal that lives at attitudes of over 5,000 metres and is known to cross over from the Tibetan plateau into the Chang Chen Mo valley of northeastern Ladakh. The Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata) whose stronghold is the sprawling Tibetan plateaux is occasionally sighted in northeastern Ladakh. Smaller animals of the region include pikas, marmots and Tibetan hares. The mountain and plateaux homes of the wild ungulates are shared by predators like the snow-leopard or ounce. The Pallas cat, Indian wolf and the lynx are also found here, but are very poorly studied and little known species.

Conservation status

It is basic to the understanding of natural systems that extreme climates create habitats of great fragility. The Trans-Himalaya is no exception. Of the estimated 186,200 sq. km. land area of the Trans-Himalaya in India, the protected area network extends to only 0.4 per cent, making it the lowest for any of the 10 zones in the Indian subcontinent! The largest contiguous protected area is the Hemis High Altitude National Park in Ladakh which covers about 600 sq. km. Another seven 'wildlife reserves' are distributed over a total area of 860 sq. km., also in Ladakh, where only hunting, and not the land use for traditional grazing and other related activities are regulated. In the Lahaul-Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh, the Pin Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, covering some 200 sq. km. in South Lahaul, has only lately been gazetted.

Though theTrans-Himalaya is a sparsely populated region, the problems for this unique ecozone are compounded by the near-complete absence of natural forests which to an extent might have been able to mitigate the human and livestock pressure on the sparse vegetation and water resources. As determined by resource availability, the population densities of the region's wild animals are very low and widespread. All in all, this is an extremely fragile ecosystem. The past few years have witnessed a rising invasion of what were once considered inaccessible areas. There is a growing number of nomadic pastoralists with their increasing herds of livestock, and a simultaneous rise in military and other developmental activities. Tourism, which on the face of it appears so benign, has a dark side which brings severe ecological degradation with it. Tourists, for instance, among other things, need hot water and heating. So woody plants, which are critical to the survival of several species, quickly succumb to the 'urgent' need for fuel. Added to such problems is the fact that many mammals of the Trans-Himalaya are under intense hunting pressure for their fur. At one time traditional weapons, traps etc. kept the hunting in check, but today automatic weapons, powerful binoculars and a thriving trade have combined to take a devastating toll of wild animals.

To save the last remaining threatened wildlife of this zone, several proposals have been mooted. If enacted, these will serve to increase the region's protected areas to well over 10 per cent of the total zonal area, of which 6.8 per cent would be set aside for National Parks and Sanctuaries, thereby facilitating major inputs in terms of infrastructure, finance and manpower. One of the best ways of monitoring wild habitats is to hone in on 'indicator' species--species whose presence 'indicates' the health of the habitat and whose absence suggests decay. The snow leopard is one such species for the high mountains. At the International Snow Leopard Symposium, 1986, the establishment of Project Snow Leopard was recommended, and several snow leopard reserves have since been created in Hemis, Siachen Shyok and Rupshu.

Rodgers and Panwar have suggested that the entire Trans-Himalaya (in India) be accorded protection under UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme. Further, the Hemis National Park with its adjacent monasteries is a prime candidate for inclusion into the World Heritage Site network on account of its natural and cultural value.