Yaya Tso has been proposed as Ladakh’s first biodiversity heritage site (BHS). Yaya Tso is known as birds’ paradise for its beautiful lake located at an altitude of 4,820 metres.
Key points
- The Biodiversity Management Committee, the panchayat of Chumathang village, along with SECURE Himalaya Project recently resolved to declare Yaya Tso as Ladakh’s first BHS under the Biological Diversity Act.
- The resolution was signed to declare the high-altitude lake and its catchment as a biodiversity heritage site.
- The project will facilitate the official notification of the BHS after taking the application up with the Ladakh Biodiversity Council.
- SECURE Himalaya has also proposed to subsequently develop a management plan for the BHS and pilot interventions to support conservation of this lake.
- The proposed Yaya Tso site will have an approximate area of 60 square kilometers, which will also include the lake’s watershed.
- Yaya Tso is among the most beautiful lakes in Ladakh.
- The lake could be reached from Mahe monastery on the way to Tsomoriri lake after driving up to the nunnery and then crossing a small mountain pass.
About Biodiversity heritage sites
- Biodiversity heritage sites are well-defined areas that are unique, ecologically fragile ecosystems with high diversity of wild and domesticated species, presence of rare and threatened species, and keystone species.
- The significance and aims of BHS are outlined in Section 37 of the Biological Diversity Act of 2002.
- Heritage sites are different from the concept of “Protected areas”. Protected areas is covered in The Wild Life Act.
- The State Government may, from time to time in consultation with the local bodies, notify in the Official Gazette, areas of biodiversity importance as biodiversity heritage sites under this Act.
- Creation of BHS may not put any restriction on the prevailing practices and usages of the local communities, other than those voluntarily decided by them.
- The purpose is to enhance the quality of life of the local communities through conservation measures.
