At an altitude of 17,000 ft, the magnificent Gurudongmar is one of the world’s highest lakes. Apart from being a major source of the river Teesta, lifeline to Sikkim and North Bengal, the lake shelters diverse life, including the first recorded amphibian found at this altitude. Can this life-giving lake of the Tibetan plateau weather the impacts of climate change?
About the contributors
Pradeep Hegde
is a conservation filmmaker and a wildlife cameraman with a passion for solution-based storytelling. He also produces films and works in close collaboration with various on-ground conservation teams.
View Profile
Sustain Team
We are a driven group of people from diverse backgrounds, bound by an abiding love for India’s natural world.
Related Content
Running Free: Tibetan Wild Ass of the Trans-Himalaya
Grazing and galloping their way through the alpine grasslands and vast plateaus of Ladakh, Tibetan wild asses or kiangs are sturdy, graceful creatures that herd together to defend themselves
How Local Communities Help Conserve the Snow Leopard
Community-led initiatives in Ladakh’s Sham Valley have deterred the ‘revenge killing’ of snow leopards and encouraged locals to participate in their conservation
Red Panda: Vanishing Flame of the Himalayas
With barely 300 left in the forests of Sikkim in India and just 10,000 worldwide, conservation of the red panda through research, education, and communication is critical
Ladakh Pika’s Winter Challenge
Ladakh's winter weakens the strongest, many mammals choose to hibernate or migrate. But not the pikas — these tiny but hardy fur balls stay strong and prepared to face the cold and harsh season
All that Fluff: Elusive Pallas’s Cats and Their Kittens
The Pallas’s cat is a magnificent yet rarely-seen high-altitude feline. To his delight, a wildlife photographer is able to spot this elusive creature near Hanle in Ladakh