Quote:Over 20 years ago, Tashi Lhamo and Phuntsu were among the first yak herders in their community to transition into a sedentary lifestyle by settling in Rama Camp, a farming village tucked away in a picturesque valley at the foothills of Lubrang. “We moved down here because it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep yak. We decided to try our luck here,” they tell CNN.

But moving down from the mountains has also meant that for Lhamo, and other Brokpa women, they’ve also moved down the social hierarchy, simply by virtue of being women. As the world continues to warm, making yak herding untenable, Tashi Lhamo’s life is a cautionary tale of what awaits women in the dwindling herding communities.