Phobjika Valley
Encyclopedia
The Phobjika Valley is a vast U-shaped glacial valley, also known as Gangteng Valley named after the impressive Gangteng Monastery of the Nyingma sect
in central Bhutan
, where the graceful Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan
(Grus nigricollis) from the Tibetan Plateau
visit the valley during the winter season to roost. On arrival in the Phobjika Valley in the last week of October, the Black-necked Cranes circle the Gangteng Monastery three times and also repeat the process while returning to Tibet
.
The broad valley with its best-known marshland in Bhutan, is popular for its scenic splendour and cultural uniqueness. The valley is rich in faunal biodiversity and has, apart from the globally threatened Black-necked Cranes Grus nigricollis, 13 other globally threatened species. Within the ambit of the valley, an area of about 163 square kilometre has been declared a protected area, which is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature
(RSPN), for the protection of nature, authorized to manage, on lease basis, by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Tsechu
, the colourful Mask Dance Festival of Bhutan and the Crane Festival welcoming the Black-neck Cranes in winter months are held every year in the precincts of the Phobjika Valley, in the Gangten Monastery courtyard. It also has a popular 3-days trek route.
(range above 5000 metres (16,404.2 ft) elevation) that separates western and central Bhutan. The valley covers most of Phobji
and Gangteng Gewogs and contains the Gangteng Monastery, also known as Gangtey Gonpa, on a spur surrounded by the village Gangtey. The valley is covered by a rich sward of grass in the marshy land where special variety of dwarf bamboo grows on which the Black-necked Cranes feed. The Nake Chuu River runs through this valley. Scenic views of the Phobjika Valley are best below the spur of Gangteng Monastery.
Climate
The valley is enclosed by the mountain ranges, which experience snowfall. The valley also gets covered with snow during the winter months forcing people of the valley to shift to more pleasant climes during the months of January and February. The mean minimum temperature recorded in December is -4.8 C. The mean maximum temperature recorded in August is 19.9 °C (67.8 °F). The rainfall incidence varies from 1472–2189 mm (58–86.2 in).
and Gangteng Gewogs) in central Bhutan
. The valley has about 4,500 people (4,716 has been reported) residing in Gangten and other villages, and in the Gangten Monastery that is strategically located on a spur above the valley. During the winter season, as the valley gets covered by snow, the entire population of the valley including the monks shifts to a more conducive climate (during months of January and February) in the Wangdue Phodrang
area, which is about 3000 kilometres (1,864.1 mi) away by road. The ethnicity of the people living in the valley has a special identity as they are known as Ganteps and their language is a dialect known as Henke (inferred to be archaic Tibetan
), a language under the Bumthang
group of languages. The Black Mountain Region
is also inhabited by nomadic shepherds and yak-herders. People of the ancient animistic religion of Bhutan namely, the Bon religion, also live in the adjoining Taphu Valley here, in scattered villages.
The picturesque Phobjika Valley, in the backdrop of the Black Mountain Range, has rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. This, coupled with religious importance of the Gangten Monastery, has attracted religious and ecotourism to the valley.
Vegetation
The Phobjika valley is a marshy land and has a sward of grassy pastures where cattle and horses graze. A special kind of dwarf bamboo grows here, which attracts the Black-necked Cranes to roost and feed in the valley during the winter season. Potatoes are the main cash crop grown in the valley. Turnips are also grown. Other tree species seen are coniferous vegetation of blue pine
, birch
, maple
and several species of rhododendrons.
Crops
The valley is known for its seed potato crop as the soil and atmospheric conditions in the valley are free from insects and diseases that normally affect this crop. The crop is mainly exported to India where there is great demand for this variety. This has generated interest in the valley to convert the wetlands or marshy lands of the valley into farms by draining the area of its water logging to produce cash crops. However, interest to preserve the habitat of the Black-necked Crane in the valley, the religious significance that is attached to the Black-necked Cranes, and the tourism that has developed around the famous Gangten Monastery and the cranes, the Institutions like the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature
(RSPN) have prevailed upon the Government of Bhutan to stop any conversion of the valley land into farms. Palje "Benjie" Dorji, former Chief Justice of Bhutan, former Minister for Environment and uncle of the present King of Bhutan, as the Chairman of the Royal Bhutan Society and as founder of the Black-necked Conservation Programme helped to drop the proposal to drain the wetlands of the Phobjika Valley to create farms to grow cash rich seed potatoes. However, it has been suggested that as cranes are valued more, the people who cannot grow cash rich potatoes here need to be compensated. It has also been suggested that the effect of tourism on cranes in the Phobjika Valley should also be studied.
Fauna
The valley and hills surrounding it are rich in wild life. The fauna recorded are the muntjacs (barking deer), wild boars, sambar, Himalayan black bear, leopards and foxes.
Avifauna
The Phobjika Valley has 14 vulnerable (Vu) species of birds in the Protected Conservation Area established in 2003. The most celebrated species of the region is the Black-necked Crane. The 13 other vulnerable species are the Rufous-necked Hornbill
Aceros nipalensis, Chestnut-breasted Partridge
Arborophila mandellii, Pallas's Fish-eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus, nuthatch
Sitta Formosa, Wood Snipe
Gallinago nemoricola, Blyth's Tragopan
Tragopan blythii, Greater Spotted Eagle
Aquila clanga, Imperial eagle
Aquila heliaca, Baer's Pochard
Aythya baeri, Hodgson's Bushchat
Saxicola insignis, Dark-rumped Swift
Apus acuticauda, and Grey-crowned Prinia
Prinia cinereocapilla. However, out of these 14 species, the white-bellied heron Ardea insignis is listed as 'critically endangered' in the Red List of Threatened Species maintained by the World Conservation Union
(IUCN). All these plant and animal species are protected under the jurisdiction of the Phobjika Conservation Area set up in 2003, by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). The Conservation Area of 163 square kilometre, which includes Gewogs of Phobji, Gangte
and Bjena under the Wangdue Phodrang
dzongkhag
, has been leased out for Conservation Planning and Management to the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature
(RSPN), a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) set up in Bhutan in 1987 (legally Incorporated in 1997). RSPN is involved not only in the conservation management of the Black-necked cranes and their habitat but also in conducting research on public education and awareness, community empowerment for conservation, and integrated conservation and development programmes, including community-based ecotourism in the valley. The Black-necked Cranes arrive in this valley in late October and depart in mid February.
in the late October. The festival is celebrated in the courtyards of the Gangten Gonpa and in the entire Phobjika Valley. The festival is attended by a large number of local people. On this occasion, children wearing crane costumes perform choreographed crane dances. During this period, cranes are seen flying at high altitudes over the mountains. Many tourists also visit the valley to witness this festival.
Another special festival observed by the people of the valley is the annual Tsechu
, which is held in the Gangteng Monastery from the 5th to 10th days of the eighth lunar month
, as per the Bhutanese calendar. Mask dances are the special feature of the festival. The festival attracts many foreign tourists.
Gangtey treks are also popular tourism attractions in the Phobjika Valley, which cover the Gangteng Gonpa. These trekking routes followed by international trekking enthusiasts start from the Gangteng Gonpa in the Phobjika Valley. The treks pass through the Kumbu village (east of the Gonpa), goes through the Gedachen and Khebayathang villages, leads to the Kilhorthang village and terminates in the Kungathang Lhakhang. A short trek of about 90 minutes known as the 'Gangte Nature Trail' starts from the Mani stone wall to the north of the Gangteng Gonpa and ends in Khewa Lhakhang.
Nyingma
The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century...
in central Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, where the graceful Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan
Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan
The Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan are winter visitors during late October to mid February to the Phobjika Valley from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Ladakh, India, where they breed. They visit the Phobhjikha valley in large numbers, which is a declared protected area for the cranes, and also to...
(Grus nigricollis) from the Tibetan Plateau
Tibetan Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai, in addition to smaller portions of western Sichuan, southwestern Gansu, and northern Yunnan in Western China and Ladakh in...
visit the valley during the winter season to roost. On arrival in the Phobjika Valley in the last week of October, the Black-necked Cranes circle the Gangteng Monastery three times and also repeat the process while returning to Tibet
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
.
The broad valley with its best-known marshland in Bhutan, is popular for its scenic splendour and cultural uniqueness. The valley is rich in faunal biodiversity and has, apart from the globally threatened Black-necked Cranes Grus nigricollis, 13 other globally threatened species. Within the ambit of the valley, an area of about 163 square kilometre has been declared a protected area, which is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature
Royal Society for Protection of Nature, Bhutan
The Royal Society for the Protection of Nature is Bhutan's first and only private nonprofit organization with nation-wide operations...
(RSPN), for the protection of nature, authorized to manage, on lease basis, by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Tsechu
Tsechu
Tsechu are annual religious Bhutanese festivals held in each district or dzongkhag of Bhutan on the tenth day of a month of the lunar Tibetan calendar. The month depends on the place, but usually is around the time of October. Tsechus are religious festivals of Drukpa Buddhism...
, the colourful Mask Dance Festival of Bhutan and the Crane Festival welcoming the Black-neck Cranes in winter months are held every year in the precincts of the Phobjika Valley, in the Gangten Monastery courtyard. It also has a popular 3-days trek route.
Geography
The Phobjika Valley is a vast glacial valley at an elevation of about 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) on the west side by the Black Mountains (Bhutan)Black Mountains (Bhutan)
The Black Mountains is a mountain range located in Bhutan. The current Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park was previously the Black Mountains park. Elevations run up to 15145 ft or 4617 meters. -References:...
(range above 5000 metres (16,404.2 ft) elevation) that separates western and central Bhutan. The valley covers most of Phobji
Phobji Gewog
Phobji Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
and Gangteng Gewogs and contains the Gangteng Monastery, also known as Gangtey Gonpa, on a spur surrounded by the village Gangtey. The valley is covered by a rich sward of grass in the marshy land where special variety of dwarf bamboo grows on which the Black-necked Cranes feed. The Nake Chuu River runs through this valley. Scenic views of the Phobjika Valley are best below the spur of Gangteng Monastery.
Climate
The valley is enclosed by the mountain ranges, which experience snowfall. The valley also gets covered with snow during the winter months forcing people of the valley to shift to more pleasant climes during the months of January and February. The mean minimum temperature recorded in December is -4.8 C. The mean maximum temperature recorded in August is 19.9 °C (67.8 °F). The rainfall incidence varies from 1472–2189 mm (58–86.2 in).
Economy
The Phobjika Valley, with its agrarian economy, is mostly underdeveloped with least modern facilities of electricity, water and sanitation. Transport and communication facilities are also not adequate. In view of protection provided to the cranes which visit the valley in winter, as a conservation measure overhead transmission lines for electric supply have not been permitted to be provided. Solar heaters, solar powered cells and diesel generators are used to provide electricity. There are plans to put in place underground electrical cable system for supplying grid electricity to the valley by 2011.Demographics
The Phobjika Valley is located in the Wangdue Phodrang District (PhobjiPhobji Gewog
Phobji Gewog is a gewog of Wangdue Phodrang District, Bhutan....
and Gangteng Gewogs) in central Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. The valley has about 4,500 people (4,716 has been reported) residing in Gangten and other villages, and in the Gangten Monastery that is strategically located on a spur above the valley. During the winter season, as the valley gets covered by snow, the entire population of the valley including the monks shifts to a more conducive climate (during months of January and February) in the Wangdue Phodrang
Wangdue Phodrang
Wangdue Phodrang District is a dzongkhag of central Bhutan. This is also the name of the dzong which dominates the district, and the name of the small market town outside the gates of the dzong...
area, which is about 3000 kilometres (1,864.1 mi) away by road. The ethnicity of the people living in the valley has a special identity as they are known as Ganteps and their language is a dialect known as Henke (inferred to be archaic Tibetan
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
), a language under the Bumthang
Bumthang language
The Bumthang language is an East Bodish language spoken by about 36,500 people in Bumthang and surrounding districts in central Bhutan...
group of languages. The Black Mountain Region
Black Mountains (Bhutan)
The Black Mountains is a mountain range located in Bhutan. The current Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park was previously the Black Mountains park. Elevations run up to 15145 ft or 4617 meters. -References:...
is also inhabited by nomadic shepherds and yak-herders. People of the ancient animistic religion of Bhutan namely, the Bon religion, also live in the adjoining Taphu Valley here, in scattered villages.
Flora and fauna
Vegetation
The Phobjika valley is a marshy land and has a sward of grassy pastures where cattle and horses graze. A special kind of dwarf bamboo grows here, which attracts the Black-necked Cranes to roost and feed in the valley during the winter season. Potatoes are the main cash crop grown in the valley. Turnips are also grown. Other tree species seen are coniferous vegetation of blue pine
Blue Pine
Pinus wallichiana is a pine native to the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains, from eastern Afghanistan east across northern Pakistan and India to Yunnan in southwest China. It grows at high altitudes in mountain valleys at altitudes of 1800–4300 m , and is a tree from 30–50 m in height...
, birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
and several species of rhododendrons.
Crops
The valley is known for its seed potato crop as the soil and atmospheric conditions in the valley are free from insects and diseases that normally affect this crop. The crop is mainly exported to India where there is great demand for this variety. This has generated interest in the valley to convert the wetlands or marshy lands of the valley into farms by draining the area of its water logging to produce cash crops. However, interest to preserve the habitat of the Black-necked Crane in the valley, the religious significance that is attached to the Black-necked Cranes, and the tourism that has developed around the famous Gangten Monastery and the cranes, the Institutions like the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature
Royal Society for Protection of Nature, Bhutan
The Royal Society for the Protection of Nature is Bhutan's first and only private nonprofit organization with nation-wide operations...
(RSPN) have prevailed upon the Government of Bhutan to stop any conversion of the valley land into farms. Palje "Benjie" Dorji, former Chief Justice of Bhutan, former Minister for Environment and uncle of the present King of Bhutan, as the Chairman of the Royal Bhutan Society and as founder of the Black-necked Conservation Programme helped to drop the proposal to drain the wetlands of the Phobjika Valley to create farms to grow cash rich seed potatoes. However, it has been suggested that as cranes are valued more, the people who cannot grow cash rich potatoes here need to be compensated. It has also been suggested that the effect of tourism on cranes in the Phobjika Valley should also be studied.
Fauna
The valley and hills surrounding it are rich in wild life. The fauna recorded are the muntjacs (barking deer), wild boars, sambar, Himalayan black bear, leopards and foxes.
Avifauna
The Phobjika Valley has 14 vulnerable (Vu) species of birds in the Protected Conservation Area established in 2003. The most celebrated species of the region is the Black-necked Crane. The 13 other vulnerable species are the Rufous-necked Hornbill
Rufous-necked Hornbill
The Rufous-necked Hornbill is a species of hornbill found in broadleaved forests at altitudes of in Bhutan, north-eastern India, Burma, southern Yunnan, south-eastern Tibet, northern and western Thailand, northern Laos and northern Vietnam. Numbers have declined significantly due to habitat loss...
Aceros nipalensis, Chestnut-breasted Partridge
Chestnut-breasted Partridge
The Chestnut-breasted Partridge is a species of partridge endemic to the eastern Himalayas north of the Brahmaputra, and is known from Bhutan, West Bengal , Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India, Nepal Himalaya and south-east Tibet.It is a distinctive partridge with chestnut breast-band...
Arborophila mandellii, Pallas's Fish-eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus, nuthatch
Nuthatch
The nuthatches are a genus, Sitta, of small passerine birds belonging to the family Sittidae. Characterised by large heads, short tails, and powerful bills and feet, nuthatches advertise their territory using loud, simple songs...
Sitta Formosa, Wood Snipe
Wood Snipe
The Wood Snipe is a species of snipe which breeds in the Himalayas of northern India, Nepal, Bhutan and southern China. In winter, it occurs at lower altitudes in the Himalayas, as a regular visitor in small numbers to north Vietnam...
Gallinago nemoricola, Blyth's Tragopan
Blyth's Tragopan
Blyth’s Tragopan or the Grey-bellied Tragopan is a pheasant that is a vulnerable species.-Distribution and Population:...
Tragopan blythii, Greater Spotted Eagle
Greater Spotted Eagle
The Greater Spotted Eagle , occasionally just called the spotted eagle, is a large bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae...
Aquila clanga, Imperial eagle
Eastern Imperial Eagle
The Eastern Imperial Eagle is a large species of bird of prey that breeds from southeastern Europe to central Asia. Most populations are migratory and winter in northeastern Africa, and southern and eastern Asia. The Spanish Imperial Eagle, found in Spain and Portugal, was formerly lumped with...
Aquila heliaca, Baer's Pochard
Baer's Pochard
Baer's Pochard is a diving duck found in eastern Asia. It breeds in southeast Russia and northeast China, migrating in winter to southern China, Vietnam, Japan, and India. The name commemorates the Estonian naturalist Karl Ernst von Baer.At 41–46 cm, it is similar in size and stance to its...
Aythya baeri, Hodgson's Bushchat
Hodgson's Bushchat
The White-throated Bush Chat, , also known as Hodgson's Bushchat, is an Old World flycatcher in the genus Saxicola....
Saxicola insignis, Dark-rumped Swift
Dark-rumped Swift
The Dark-rumped Swift is a species of swift in the Apodidae family.It is found in Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Thailand.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss....
Apus acuticauda, and Grey-crowned Prinia
Grey-crowned Prinia
The Grey-crowned Prinia is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan....
Prinia cinereocapilla. However, out of these 14 species, the white-bellied heron Ardea insignis is listed as 'critically endangered' in the Red List of Threatened Species maintained by the World Conservation Union
World Conservation Union
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is an international organization dedicated to finding "pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges." The organization publishes the IUCN Red List, compiling information from a network of...
(IUCN). All these plant and animal species are protected under the jurisdiction of the Phobjika Conservation Area set up in 2003, by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). The Conservation Area of 163 square kilometre, which includes Gewogs of Phobji, Gangte
Gangte
Gangte is an ethnic minority community from northeast India with a population of 15,100 , primarily in Manipur's southern district and neighbouring States of Meghalaya, and Assam. Though nationally "Indian," this tribe displays East Asian-type features. They are considered part of the...
and Bjena under the Wangdue Phodrang
Wangdue Phodrang
Wangdue Phodrang District is a dzongkhag of central Bhutan. This is also the name of the dzong which dominates the district, and the name of the small market town outside the gates of the dzong...
dzongkhag
Dzongkhag
A dzongkhag is an administrative and judicial district of Bhutan. The twenty dzongkhags of Bhutan are further divided into 205 gewogs. Some larger dzongkhags have one or more of an intermediate judicial division, known as dungkhags , which themselves comprise two or more gewogs...
, has been leased out for Conservation Planning and Management to the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature
Royal Society for Protection of Nature, Bhutan
The Royal Society for the Protection of Nature is Bhutan's first and only private nonprofit organization with nation-wide operations...
(RSPN), a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) set up in Bhutan in 1987 (legally Incorporated in 1997). RSPN is involved not only in the conservation management of the Black-necked cranes and their habitat but also in conducting research on public education and awareness, community empowerment for conservation, and integrated conservation and development programmes, including community-based ecotourism in the valley. The Black-necked Cranes arrive in this valley in late October and depart in mid February.
Festivals
In the Phobjika valley in particular, the Black-necked Cranes have a celebrity status, as witnessed by the Crane Festival held every year on 12 November, soon after their arrival from the Tibetan PlateauTibetan Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai, in addition to smaller portions of western Sichuan, southwestern Gansu, and northern Yunnan in Western China and Ladakh in...
in the late October. The festival is celebrated in the courtyards of the Gangten Gonpa and in the entire Phobjika Valley. The festival is attended by a large number of local people. On this occasion, children wearing crane costumes perform choreographed crane dances. During this period, cranes are seen flying at high altitudes over the mountains. Many tourists also visit the valley to witness this festival.
Another special festival observed by the people of the valley is the annual Tsechu
Tsechu
Tsechu are annual religious Bhutanese festivals held in each district or dzongkhag of Bhutan on the tenth day of a month of the lunar Tibetan calendar. The month depends on the place, but usually is around the time of October. Tsechus are religious festivals of Drukpa Buddhism...
, which is held in the Gangteng Monastery from the 5th to 10th days of the eighth lunar month
Lunar month
In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two identical syzygies . There are many variations. In Middle-Eastern and European traditions, the month starts when the young crescent moon becomes first visible at evening after conjunction with the Sun one or two days before that evening...
, as per the Bhutanese calendar. Mask dances are the special feature of the festival. The festival attracts many foreign tourists.
Phubjika Valley and Gangtey treks
Phubja Valley trek is a popular trekking that takes three days to complete and is part of the religious tourism and ecotourism that is promoted by the Government of Bhutan and other concerned NGO organizations.Gangtey treks are also popular tourism attractions in the Phobjika Valley, which cover the Gangteng Gonpa. These trekking routes followed by international trekking enthusiasts start from the Gangteng Gonpa in the Phobjika Valley. The treks pass through the Kumbu village (east of the Gonpa), goes through the Gedachen and Khebayathang villages, leads to the Kilhorthang village and terminates in the Kungathang Lhakhang. A short trek of about 90 minutes known as the 'Gangte Nature Trail' starts from the Mani stone wall to the north of the Gangteng Gonpa and ends in Khewa Lhakhang.
See also
- Royal Society for the Protection of NatureRoyal Society for Protection of Nature, BhutanThe Royal Society for the Protection of Nature is Bhutan's first and only private nonprofit organization with nation-wide operations...
(RSPN)