Report estimates Rs 10,800cr annual ecosystem services from JK’s nomadic migration

Srinagar: Seasonal nomadic migration in Jammu and Kashmir generates ecosystem services worth up to Rs 10,800 crore annually, helping protect the western Himalayan region, according to a new report authored by IAS officer Shahid Choudhary as part of his Master’s programme at Oxford University.

The unpublished 30-page report — accessed by The Wire — estimates the economic value created by more than 6.3 lakh pastoralists from the Gujjar, Bakkerwal, Gaddi and Sippi communities through their biannual movement across J&K’s alpine and sub-alpine rangelands.

Choudhary writes that these communities provide ecosystem services valued at Rs 5,880 crore conservatively, with full-year benefits potentially crossing Rs 10,800 crore. The calculations are based on globally accepted valuation methods used in climate science.

The report attributes a significant share of these services to grazing-linked ecological functions, pegged at Rs 8,400 crore annually for 1.2 million hectares, using official data from a 2021 Tribal Affairs Department study. It further assesses that pastoralists contribute Rs 125 crore worth of services in reducing forest fires around 90,000 GIS-mapped sites, and Rs 960–1,200 crore through watershed protection such as groundwater recharge and reduced soil loss. These figures exclude harder-to-quantify benefits like carbon sequestration and biodiversity.

Choudhary argues that the seasonal migration — which began in the 19th century and spans the Chenab, Jhelum, Sindh and Ravi basins — plays a “critical role” in stabilising watersheds, rejuvenating mountain ecosystems and protecting forests from wildfires. The report also highlights cultural services such as seed dispersal, soil enrichment, and preservation of ethnolinguistic traditions.

He notes that despite over one million Gujjars and Bakerwals forming 74% of J&K’s tribal population (Census 2011), the communities remain deprived of basic services due to “policy neglect” and the absence of evidence-based planning.

“These communities are ecological stewards whose mobility sustains fragile mountain ecosystems,” Choudhary told The Wire.

The report comes at a time when pastoralists have faced heightened scrutiny after the reading down of Article 370 in 2019, including allegations of forest-land encroachment and forced evictions. While the Forest Rights Act, 2006, was extended to J&K the same year, tribal activists say around 87% of land rights claims have been rejected, undermining its intent.

Citing examples from Switzerland, Kenya and Peru, the report recommends compensating pastoralists through cash transfers and carbon credit mechanisms, and calls for “institutional co-governance” of rangelands involving government departments, panchayats and pastoralist associations.

It urges India to push for global recognition of Himalayan rangelands as the UN prepares to mark 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.