Changtang

The Changtang (alternatively spelled Changthang or Qangtang) is a part of the high altitude Tibetan Plateau in western and northern Tibet extending into the southern edges of Xinjiang as well as southeastern Ladakh, India,[1] with vast highlands and giant lakes.

From eastern Ladakh, the Changtang stretches approximately 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) east into Tibet as far as modern Qinghai.

[citation needed] The summers are warm but short and thunderstorms can occur at any time of year, often accompanied with hail.

Unlike many other nomadic groups, the Changpa are not under pressure from settled farmers as the vast majority of land they inhabit is too inhospitable for farming.

Dairy products are converted into less perishable forms (like butter and cheese) during the summer when the livestock are producing high levels of milk.

Salt, meat, live animals, wool, and unprocessed cashmere are traded for basics such as grain, cooking pots, and other metal implements, as well as more modern goods.

The protected areas stretch across parts of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Xinjiang and Qinghai in China.

It is, however, on a historically important route for travellers journeying from Ladakh to Lhasa, and now has many different characteristics due to being part of India.

Centuries-old cultural and social fabrics are now changing rapidly, influenced by consumerist and modern lifestyles.

The Changtang Wildlife Sanctuary has natural grasslands and a wide variety of more than 200 species of wild plants grow in the higher pastures of this area, most of which is edible for animals.

Changtang hamlets were established when many Tibetan nomads, mostly from western Tibet, fled and settled down in the adjoining places of Ladakh.

There are more than 3,500 Tibetan refugees residing in the Changtang region who depend primarily on livestock, with agriculture being their secondary occupation.

It is important as one of the few places in India with a population of the kiang or Tibetan wild ass, as well as the rare black-necked crane.

The Changtang Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary is part of the Hindu Kush Himalaya, the natural enchantress.

The altitude of the sanctuary varies from 4,300 to 5,800 metres (14,000 to 19,000 ft), and the topography is formed of deep gorges and vast plateaus.

The cold desert of this wildlife sanctuary is sparse but the marginal conditions have resulted in species with some remarkable characteristics.