ICIMOD–Sámi Dialogue on Building Indigenous Pastoralist Networks

The event

As ICIMOD prepares to host the Interpolar Conference from 3–5 September 2025, it is using this unique opportunity to revitalise partnership between Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic and the Hindu Kush Himalaya through a focused one-day dialogue between ICIMOD and Sámi representatives.

In 2018, ICIMOD facilitated an exchange between yak herders from the Himalaya and reindeer herders from the Arctic, creating a meaningful space for sharing knowledge and strategies. While this initiative showed great promise, the engagement could not be sustained. Now, with renewed efforts toward HKH pastoralist networking and increasing global recognition of Indigenous-led climate action, particularly in the lead up to the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, the time is right to reconnect and build long-term cooperation between ICIMOD and Sámi institutions.

Objectives

The primary aim of the ICIMOD–Yak–Sámi dialogue is to strengthen cross-regional learning and cooperation between Indigenous herding communities in the HKH and the Arctic. The specific objectives are to:

• Facilitate mutual learning between yak and reindeer herders facing similar ecological, social, and cultural challenges due to climate and environmental change
• Exchange traditional and innovative practices that promote sustainable pastoralism and livelihoods under harsh environmental conditions
• Support efforts to build and strengthen Indigenous pastoralist networks in the HKH through insights from the Sámi experience
• Identify pathways for deeper collaboration between the Sámi and HKH pastoralist organisations, including the Yak and Chauri Farmers’ Federation of Nepal
• Develop a joint roadmap leading to sustained collaboration, with a focus on collective advocacy and contributions to IYRP 2026

Expected outputs

The one-day meeting is expected to deliver the following concrete outputs:

• Shared understanding: A dialogue highlighting common challenges, lived experiences, and climate resilience strategies between Sámi and yak herders
• Knowledge exchange: Sharing of best practices, traditional knowledge, and institutional approaches to Indigenous pastoralism and network building
• Collaboration roadmap: A co-developed draft roadmap for sustained engagement and cooperation between ICIMOD and Sámi representatives, including proposed joint activities for 2025–2026, and between Sámi and yak/chauri herder networks
• Strategic partnerships: Identification of key organisations, institutions, and individuals who will play a role in supporting cross-regional pastoralist networking
• Contributions to IYRP 2026: Alignment of joint initiatives with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, positioning this collaboration as a model of Indigenous-led climate action and solidarity across the Global North and South
• Inputs to draft governance structure on HKH yak/chauri herders’ network

Background

The rangelands of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) cover approximately 60% of its 4.3 million km² and are central to the livelihoods of pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities – many of whom live in conditions of poverty and marginalisation. Among them, yak herders play a vital cultural, economic, and ecological role in maintaining these fragile high-altitude ecosystems. However, they face a multitude of challenges, including changing climatic patterns, environmental degradation, socio-economic pressures, restrictions on accessing traditional migration pathways, and inadequate institutional support.

As part of its strategy for implementing the Rangelands and Wetlands Intervention, ICIMOD has been actively supporting the development of pastoralist networks across the region, including the formation of national yak herder federations in Bhutan (2022) and Nepal (2023), with similar efforts underway in India and Pakistan. These initiatives are building momentum toward the formalisation of the Hindu Kush Himalaya Yak Network, envisioned as a regional platform to be launched during the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) in 2026.

Despite being separated by vast geographies, the yak herders of the HKH and the Sámi reindeer herders of the Arctic share strikingly similar experiences as Indigenous and mobile pastoralist communities living in some of the world’s most fragile high-altitude and high-latitude ecosystems. Both groups are stewards of vast, ecologically sensitive landscapes and possess deep cultural knowledge rooted in generations of sustainable resource management. Yet, they are increasingly vulnerable to the accelerating impacts of climate change – rising temperatures (with the Arctic warming nearly four times the global average), shifting precipitation patterns, altered grazing cycles, and biodiversity loss – which are undermining traditional herding practices, disrupting seasonal mobility, and putting immense strain on customary knowledge systems. Despite their critical contributions to biocultural diversity and ecological resilience, both communities remain underrepresented in global climate and biodiversity discourses. Their shared challenges and strengths highlight the urgent need for greater recognition, collaboration, and cross-learning, ensuring that their voices help shape more inclusive and grounded responses to the climate crisis.

Reindeer herders have successfully established a cross-border network through the Sámi Council and related initiatives, enabling mutual learning, coordinated advocacy, and a stronger collective voice in regional and global policy forums. This model of transboundary cooperation offers valuable lessons for pastoralist communities in the HKH, who can benefit from developing a similar network to share knowledge, amplify their concerns, and advocate more effectively for their rights and sustainable practices across the region.