SAFEGUARDING MOUNTAIN PASTORALISM THROUGH AN ALTERNATIVE INSURANCE MECHANISM

Mountain pastoralism is at risk of extinction due to changing socio-economic contexts. Though animal husbandry in mountainous area is one of the oldest economically valuable traditions and practices, herders are gradually shifting towards other occupations due to higher opportunities for income generation. High mortality rate of livestock is one of the main causes of increased costs of animal husbandry in the high mountains as they do not have adequate veterinary facilities and livestock are among the main prey of wild predators. Although insurance shares the risk of losses, existing insurance schemes are not favourable to mountain herders, as the claims process is lengthy, leading to higher transaction costs that discourage herders from using the insurance scheme. To address this issue, a community-based insurance scheme is proposed to bring insurance coverage to herders. This study aims to determine the preferences of yak herders in Kanchenjunga landscape of Nepal about participating in the community-based insurance scheme. The rangelands here share borders with India. The herders are from diverse ethnic groups and have linked yak herding with tourism. Interviews were conducted with sixty yak herders using a contingent valuation method. Data were analysed using a linear model. The results suggest that herders’ willingness-to-pay at subsidised rates covers the expected payout. The excess amount collected can be utilised to enhance the welfare of herders through a comprehensive fund mobilisation plan. This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC 4.0 licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ .