When Nature Changes Its Rhythm, Communities Suffer

A Study from Bhutan Shows Scientific Data Can Miss the Real Impacts of Climate Change on People’s Lives

By Dawa Gyelmo* in Thimphu, Bhutan

June 9, 2025

In Bhutan’s high Himalayan pastures, villagers say the alpine plants they’ve used for incense, medicine and fuel for generations are disappearing. But new ecological research shows that many of these plants are still growing, and some are now found in greater numbers. The study raises questions relevant not only in Bhutan but also in the mountains of India, Nepal and Tibet, where people depend on nature’s cycles, as well as across South Asia, where similar shifts are already underway.

The study, published in the Economic Botany journal, was conducted in Sephu, a village in northern Bhutan, near the Tampela Pass in the Wangchuck Centennial National Park. This region lies in the alpine zone, meaning high-altitude areas above the tree line, where the land is cold, rugged and covered mostly by hardy shrubs, herbs and grasses that survive in extreme conditions. These alpine plants are central to the lives of people who live there.

Researchers spoke to 21 residents in Sephu—mainly farmers and yak herders—about changes they had observed in these plants. Their accounts were then compared with scientific data collected from fixed plots in the same alpine landscape, where plant growth and availability had been tracked over time.

Nearly all participants said they had seen a decline in useful plants. Some reported that species used for incense and medicine had become harder to find or had lost their strength. Others spoke of walking farther to collect firewood or no longer finding certain species at all.

But the ecological data did not reflect a drop in plant abundance. In fact, several important species—including Rhododendron anthopogon (a fragrant shrub often used to make incense) and Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora (a medicinal herb used to treat fever and stomach ailments)—had increased in number.

Nature’s Rhythm

The study suggests that for people living in such regions, the problem is not the presence of the plants they have long used but the fact that these herbs and shrubs no longer align with their traditional knowledge systems.

According to Nidup Gyeltshen, one of the researchers, climate change is altering the reliability of nature for these people, even if the total number of plants hasn’t gone down. “People are responding not to just how much is growing, but to where, when and how they can access it,” he told Newsreel Asia.

Changes in timing, weather unpredictability, plant potency, and even where certain species grow now, all contribute to what feels like a loss. One villager put it clearly: “Plants are now growing in places that used to be under snow all the time. But their quality is not the same.”

Others described landslides, erratic rain, less snow cover and degraded pastures. All these affect not just what plants grow, but whether they can be harvested or used in the same way. When the traditional cycle of life is broken, even subtly, communities who depend on it are left adrift.

Not Just Bhutan’s Problem

The effects of climate change don’t always show up in satellite images or rainfall graphs. In places like Sikkim or Uttarakhand in India, farmers and gatherers report similar stories – wild herbs that bloom too early, plants that lose their scent or potency, or trees appearing in previously treeless zones. In Maharashtra’s tribal regions, people who collect forest produce say that many plants are now flowering earlier than they used to, causing them to miss the right time to harvest. In the Western Ghats, changes in monsoon timing are impacting pepper and areca nut yields.

This pattern is repeated across South Asia. Nature doesn’t disappear, it shifts quietly, throwing off the balance that rural and indigenous communities have long depended on. What looks like “abundance” to scientists may still mean scarcity in practice—if the plants can’t be found at the right time, don’t grow in the usual spots, or no longer serve their intended use.

In urban India, it’s easy to think of climate change as a slow-moving disaster affecting someone else. But this study shows that climate shifts are already undermining livelihoods, income and cultural traditions, even where biodiversity technically remains.

If incense plants in Bhutan lose their fragrance or medicinal value, villagers lose income. If grazing lands shrink due to heatwaves and floods, yak health declines and dairy trade collapses. The economic impact is immediate.

This is also a governance issue. If policies are based only on scientific indicators without listening to local communities, adaptation strategies will fail. For instance, promoting commercial harvesting in areas where locals already report losses may cause conflict or ecological damage.

What Needs to Be Done

This study from Bhutan offers lessons for all of South Asia. People who live close to the land often notice environmental changes early. These observations carry value and should inform how we understand ecological change, alongside scientific data.

Any strategy to deal with climate change must combine scientific monitoring with the experience of local communities. Plans based only on data risk overlooking the realities on the ground. A strong response will draw from both forms of knowledge to make sure people are able to adapt and continue living well in changing conditions. The changes seen in Bhutan are part of a wider pattern that is already affecting hill regions, forests and farmlands across India. This is the time to listen and act with clarity.

*(Dawa Gyelmo is an independent journalist based in Bhutan. She previously worked with Kuensel and has written for Dialogue Earth, Scroll.in and SciDev, among others.)

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