Yaks breeding in Buryatia and Tuva: traditional practices and modern technologies

Abstract (English)

Yaks breeding in the Mongun-Taiga and Tere-Khol kozhuuns of the Republic of Tyva and in the Okinsky district of the Republic of Buryatia is one of the traditional types of nature management, as well as the traditional type of economy of the peoples living in this territory. Yaks breedingis widespread all over the world in a rather narrow area - this is the highlands of Central Asia and residents of only a dozen countries, including Russia, are engaged in it. In Russia, the territories of traditional yak breeding are Buryatia, Altai and Tuva. In Tuvan and Buryat yaks breeding, animals are used to produce meat, milk and wool from which durable products can be woven and knitted. Tuvans also use yaks during migrations, especially in the highlands, as a pack and riding animal. Yak is still a source of food, material for making household items and a means of transportation, therefore, it occupies an important niche in the livelihood of local nomads. The support and development of yaks breeding in Tuva and Buryatia is also of strategic importance for the development of the region, as it can ensure the food independence of the regions, support the development of the tourism industry, and help avoid the outflow of the local population, especially young people, to the city. For the local population, the yak and its breeding is a symbol of connection with the culture of their ancestors, with their small homeland.