Photos

Silkroad travels: Pamir

In Murghab, the biggest village on the Pamir plateau, heating and cooking is with those multiannual forbs or with dried Yak dung. Petrol, gas or electric current are rare and expensive commodities, trees don't grow here. Those Salicornia or Astragalus (I have to guess) are taken with the woody roots; the plants will regrow only over many decades. As a consequence the scarce vegetation cover is overexploited. To these people it's either that or leave the area.

One thought hit me: the Pamiri's may be overexploiting resources, but I am doing the same at home on a much bigger scale.