In the high-altitude region of western Tibet, the Changthang plateau stretches 1600km into the remote and barren landscapes of Eastern Ladakh.
As part of both the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges, at altitudes of 4300 to 5800 meters (14,000 to 19,000 ft), it is the world’s highest permanently inhabited region and the home of the nomadic pastoralists known as the Changpa. The Changpa have lived intricately connected to this harsh but beautiful high-altitude landscape since fleeing western Tibet centuries ago and have learned, over time and through necessity, to coexist in a resilient and sustainable way with the unforgiving harsh climate.
But times are changing. The Changpa raise yaks and pashmina goats, who rely on deeply cold temperatures to nurture the growth of a fine, soft, and extremely valuable undercoat. Rising temperatures have begun to undermine the healthy growth of their valuable fine wool.
Social and economic 'progress' within Ladakh has placed pressure on the younger Changpa generations to pursue education and livelihoods away from the hard life of the Plateau in the capital city of Leh, unraveling the tight-knit fabric of traditional Changpa life.
Migrating between high summer pastures and lower winter ranges, the Changpa follow traditional routes, carving out their livelihoods selling wool to Kashmiri traders, but cheap and often fake wool imports
