Chopta Alpine Meadows and Tungnath Forest Ecology

Chopta near Ukhimath in Rudraprayag district is called the Switzerland of Uttarakhand for its high-altitude meadows (bugyals) and the highest Shiva temple in the world at Tungnath (3680 metres). The subalpine meadows support rare medicinal plants including Brahmakamal (Saussurea obvallata), the state flower used in high-altitude religious ceremonies, and diverse alpine herbs used in traditional medicine. The mixed coniferous and oak forests below the meadows shelter Himalayan Monal (state bird), various pheasant species, and the occasional Snow Leopard. Traditional transhumance practices involving movement of sheep and goat flocks to high bugyals in summer and return to lower valleys in winter shape the landscape. Local shepherds carry generational knowledge of alpine plant cycles.