ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the plant species diversity, vegetation structure, and rangeland conditions, vis-a-vis patterns of livestock use, in a part of the Changthang Plateau. It discusses the implications of new land use practices that might take place in the area in the near future. There is a need for more in-depth studies on the relationships among the vegetation structure, composition, and patterns of grazing by the domestic livestock and wild herbivores. Internal drainage in some of the basins has led to concentrations of salt and other minerals over the millennia, making the water bodies brackish. Less than 1% of the geographical area on the plateau is cultivated, and most of the vegetated zone is used by a migratory pastoral community known as the Changpa for livestock grazing. The rangelands of the Changthang Plateau represent a cold–arid ecosystem, traditionally used by the Changpa herders. The Changthang Plateau in eastern Ladakh represents an important biogeographic province within the Indian trans-Himalayan region.
