Question

Explain why nomadic tribes need to move from one place to another. What are the advantages to the environment of this continuous movement?

Answer 1

Hint: A nomad is a member of a nomadic community that travels to and from the same locations on a regular basis. Hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (those who own animals), and tinkers or trader nomads are examples of such communities. The world's population of nomadic pastoral tribes gradually declined during the twentieth century, with an estimated 30–40 million nomads in 1995.

Complete answer:
Nomadic tribes have several reasons to shift from one location to another. The nomadic people lacked their own regular fields from which to obtain fodder for their animals. From September to April, they lived with their herd in the low hills of the Himalayas because the large mountains or high altitudes were covered in snow.

During this time, the dry scrub woodlands in these places provided forage for their herds. With the arrival of summer, the pastoralists began their northward march for their summer grazing pastures, as the snow melted and the hillsides became rich green with a variety of fresh grasses.

With the arrival of winter, when the mountains were blanketed in snow and there was a scarcity of healthy food, these pastoralists were on the move once more, this time on their way down.

Advantages :
- The nomadic pastoralists' movement from the downward to the upper lands, and vice versa, provided enough time for natural vegetation restoration.
- At both the high mountains and the lower hills, their constant shifting offered enough fodder for the various animals.
- They also helped to keep the pastures in good condition.

Note: Nomadism is also a way of living adapted to infertile environments like the steppe, tundra, or ice and sand, where movement is the most efficient approach for exploiting limited resources. Many reindeer herders, for example, live on the tundra and are semi-nomadic, following fodder for their animals.