A NEW research project on yak biodiversity and yak farming management has been launched in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The project is being jointly funded by Lanzhou University of China and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

Yak is an iconic symbol of Tibet and high altitude regions. More than 22m domestic yaks provide food — both meat and milk — transport, shelter and fuel for Tibetians and others.

In recent years, the nomadic communities have faced challenges due to the decline in yak population and desertification of high altitude rangelands in the wake of climate change. The primary goal of the project is to compare the genomes of wild and domestic yaks and investigate genetic changes underlying domestication, detect genomic regions that have been subjected to artificial selection and high altitude adaptation.

According to Dr Murtaza Hassan Andrabi, who is associated with the project from the Pakistani side, explained that five areas in the Gilgit-Baltistan have been identified for research: Chitral, Gilgit, Skardu, Hunza and Upper Neelam Valley. Samples of yak germplasm resources will also be sent to the School of Life Sciences in the Lanzhou University of China.

The project will bring more benefits for the social and economic development of the Hindukush Himalaya region in the long run

The project will bring more benefits for the social and economic developments of the Hindukush Himalaya region in the long run, he said.

Meanwhile, the Livestock and Dairy Development Board has approved the development of yak at high altitude areas of Pakistan project. The Gilgit-Baltistan government has offered a vast land for the project and sought cooperation of the federal government for launching the project.

Allocations for the project estimated at Rs58m are expected to be made during the fiscal year 2017-18, according to officials.

The total population of pure yak in the Gilgit-Baltistan is estimated at 0.033m. Yak is considered as a rear natural resource having comparative advantage for raising socio-economic condition of poor and remote mountain dwellers in supplying the key food ingredients such as milk and meat.

It has been proposed yak farming will be set up at Khaltro, Ishkoman, Yasin and Funder, Darkut, Misgar, Shamshal, Hisper, Hoper and Shain bar valleys. A Zho farming would also be set up in Baltistan region and Aastore district covering Deosai.

The project will also assist to strengthen and enhance capabilities of the processors for quality and value-addition of yak meat.

The project will lead to a 10-15pc increase in the production of high quality organic yak beef and make the process cost-effective.

The project will investigate the yak germplasm resources in Hindukush Himalaya (HKH) region and resequence 200 domestic and wild yaks, identify the important genomic regions under the artificial selection, annotate the key genes within these regions, clarify their interactive functions and genetic mechanisms under the rapid variations of some phenotypes during domestic evolution.

The research will also enable to reconstruct the demographic history and identify the signatures of selection during yak demonstration. In addition, the project will investigate the yak rumen microbial diversity around the north and south side of Himalayas, to provide fundamental knowledge that would help explain environmental adaptation for yaks and also improve the yak farming management.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, July 3rd, 2017