Bhutan's King launches the Himalayan Yak Herders' Network at the ninth Royal Highland Festival in Laya
23 October 2026
The King of Bhutan launched the Himalayan Yak Herders' Network on 23 October at the 9th Royal Highland Festival in Laya, in Gasa district.
It is the first regional platform for yak-herding communities in the Himalaya, bringing together herders from Bhutan, India and Nepal.
Its members are the Bhutan Yak Federation, the Yak Federation of India and the Yak and Chauri Farmers Federation Nepal.
The network is to be owned and led by the herders themselves, and Bhutan will host its secretariat.
It was set up with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), whose Kangchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative first raised the idea in 2016.
The festival's theme, "Rangelands for Life: Empowering Herders", marked the UN-declared International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026.
The King also named 23 October National Yak Day; Bhutan has 29,432 yaks kept by 746 households.
In plain words
ICIMOD International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development — Intergovernmental knowledge centre for the Hindu Kush Himalaya, based in Kathmandu; a partner in the new network.
Royal Highland Festival Highland festival at Laya, Gasa district — Celebrates Bhutan's highland culture and yak-herding livelihoods; the 2026 edition was the 9th.
National Yak Day 23 October, Bhutan — Declared by the King of Bhutan at the 2026 festival to honour yaks and herders.