TIL BDR GHALLEY | Thimphu
As evening fell over Leyna village in Tsento gewog, Paro, 24-year-old Ugyen Lham was feeding her baby when a wildlife report arrived on her phone — another livestock attack in the mountains where her community lives alongside predators.
Attached was a photograph showing the remains of a calf killed overnight in a nearby pasture. A Tibetan wolf had attacked the animal, leaving another family to count a costly loss.
Ugyen Lham, secretary of the Snow Leopard Women’s Group, immediately checked the image, recorded the location and shared the information with the Paro Divisional Forest Office.
Such responses have become routine for Ugyen Lham and other members of the group, who are helping transform how wildlife incidents are recorded in Nubri, an alpine landscape where traditional yak herding and wildlife conservation exist side by side.
Supported by WWF-Bhutan, the women’s group works with forest authorities to document livestock attacks involving snow leopards, ibetan wolves, Himalayan black bears and dholes.
The initiative aims to improve understanding of human-wildlife conflict and strengthen responses in communities located far from government services.
Nubri’s high-altitude valleys are home to some of Bhutan’s most important mountain species, including snow leopards, blue sheep, musk deer, Tibetan wolves and Himalayan black bears.
The region is also home to yak herders whose lives depend heavily on their animals. Yaks provide milk, butter, cheese, wool, transportation and household income. At high elevations where access to firewood is limited, dried yak dung is also collected as fuel.
However, maintaining livestock in predator habitats comes with risks. According to WWF-Bhutan’s Panda Quarterly, communities in Nubri have reported livestock losses caused by Tibetan wolves, Himalayan black bears and dholes, while snow leopards continue to prey on yak calves. Villagers have also experienced crop damage from marmots.
For families dependent on livestock, such losses can have serious economic consequences.
The publication states that an average household earns around Nu 100,000 annually from yak-based products, making every lost animal a significant financial setback.
The Snow Leopard Women’s Group was established to address one of the biggest challenges in managing wildlife conflict timely and accurate reporting from remote mountain areas.
The group’s formation also reflected the changing role of women in highland communities.
While men often spend long periods away from villages caring for yaks in distant grazing areas, women are frequently closer to settlements and are able to respond quickly when incidents occur.
The 12 members were trained to use the NoteCam mobile application, which records photographs along with GPS coordinates and altitude before transmitting the information to forestry officials.
Ugyen Lham said the technology has improved the quality of information available to authorities.
“Our role has become important where we collect accurate information about the incident and share it with forest officers. This has helped officials know the exact details of where the yak was killed, or if the yak was injured, and if there is a possible threat,” she said.
The information collected by the group is verified before being shared with the Paro Divisional Forest Office, allowing officials to better understand where and how wildlife incidents are occurring.
Forestry officials say the involvement of local women has improved documentation of wildlife incidents.
Chief Forestry Officer Namgay of the Paro Division said reports that were previously rare are now being recorded more consistently.
“There was little documentation of such incidents before, but now at least two to three cases are reported each month,” he said.
Before the initiative, many livestock attacks were difficult to verify because herders often lacked photographic evidence or location details after incidents occurred in remote grazing areas.
The challenge affected earlier compensation mechanisms, which were suspended after difficulties in verification and implementation.
The NoteCam system has helped create a clearer record of incidents and provides information that can support future conflict mitigation measures.
Alongside monitoring, conservation partners have introduced measures to reduce losses.
Through the Edge Species Project, WWF-Bhutan and WWF Korea have supported communities with portable and permanent mesh corrals designed to protect young yaks from predators.
Solar-powered electric fencing has also been installed around homes and livestock areas to prevent wildlife from entering settlements.
For seasonal herders who leave their villages for extended periods while moving livestock to grazing areas, the fencing provides additional security.
Yangzom, a 50-year-old herder from Khagona village, said electric fencing has helped protect homes from Himalayan black bears.
“Without fencing, when we return, our homes would be in disarray and all stored rations gone,” she said.
Communities have also received high-powered torches and herding tents to improve safety while managing livestock in remote areas.
However, not all households have received protective infrastructure. Sangay Zam, a member of the women’s group, said several families are still waiting for predator-proof corrals.
“These measures have helped my neighbour who received corral fencing, but I hope that at least four other households, who have not yet received it, can also benefit,” she said.
Despite livestock losses, many residents continue to support snow leopard conservation. For some herders, conservation programmes have brought practical benefits while improving awareness about the importance of protecting predators.
Ap Rinchen, a yak herder, said communities understand the losses caused by wildlife but do not view snow leopards only as a threat.
“We know we lose our yaks to wild animals, including snow leopards. But because of them, we have also received support in the form of festivals, fencing, even torches. We have never disliked the snow leopard,” he said.
Through their involvement in the programme, members of the women’s group have also gained skills in identifying wildlife signs such as tracks and scat, helping strengthen community-based monitoring.
Ugyen Lham said the initiative has changed local participation in conservation.
“We never paid much attention to such programme earlier, but now that we are part of it, we are actively involved in the work and interventions,” she said.
Bhutan’s alpine regions remain critical habitats for endangered species while supporting communities whose livelihoods depend on livestock.
The experience in Nubri demonstrates how local participation can strengthen conservation efforts in remote landscapes.
By combining community reporting, digital tools and preventive measures, the Snow Leopard Women’s Group is helping create a system where residents living alongside predators play a central role in managing conflict.
In the high mountains of Bhutan, coexistence is no longer only a conservation goal. It has become a daily practice shaped by the people who share the landscape with one of the world’s most elusive big cats.
