Kibber

When botanist Thomson visited Kibber in September 1847, he found terraced and irrigated fields up to 300 ft (91 m) above the village. Barley was ready for harvest.[2] Hugh Whistler, ornithologist, visited Kibber in July 1922 and observed barley and green peas in the fields.[9]

In 2011, an area of 389.2 ha (962 acres) of Kibber formed pastures for grazing. This amounted to 83.7% of the 465.2 ha (1,150 acres) area of the village. Only 11.3% of the land was used for agriculture, with 85.3% of this being irrigated. Barley and pulses including black peas and green peas are the major crops. With the opening of roads, there is a shift to cash crops.[3]^{: 22–23, 238–239}

Kibber has a small gompa. The well-known Kye Gompa is en route from Kaza to Kibber. The nearby village of Gete has a chorten on a cliff overlooking the Kye Gompa about 320 m (1,050 ft) below.[10]

Kibber is a base for climbing the nearby 5,998 m (19,678 ft) Kanamo Peak. The name Kanamo means either "mountain of good omen" or "white hostess (lady)". The trek is rated as an "easy ridge walk with scree on the lower slopes" by Indian mountaineer Harish Kapadia. The trek from Kibber takes 2-3 days. The season for this trek is late June to the end of September.[11]^: 143 The trail over the 5,578 m (18,301 ft) Parang La to Ladakh starts from Kibber. This strenuous trek takes about 5 days to cross the Parang La and another 5 days to descend to Karzok on the shore of Tso Moriri in Ladakh. The total distance is about 92 km (57 mi).[11]^{: 139–142}

The Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary was established on 1st Nov 1999 with an area of 1,400 km² (540 sq mi). On 7th Apr 2013, the area was increased to 2,220.12 km² (857.19 sq mi). The elevation range of this sanctuary is 3,600–6,800 m (11,800–22,300 ft) above mean sea level.[12]

The vegetation here is sparse, Kibber being well above the treeline which extends to 3,500 m (11,500 ft).[3]^: 20–21 The most common shrub is Caragana versicolor, a slow-growing, woody dwarf shrub with multiple stems forming a low canopy.[13] Thomson, the English botanist who visited in 1947, observed that the plants found at these altitudes of 4,200–4,600 m (13,800–15,100 ft) were similar to those found at 3,100 m (10,200 ft) in lower parts of the Spiti valley. He attributed this to the extreme aridity of the climate and the protection afforded to the Kibber area by the lofty mountain ranges on all sides.[2]

In a recent study, over 70 species of plants were identified in this sanctuary, compared to about 9,000 species in the whole of the Himalayas.[14] Several plants used in the traditional Tibetan medical system, also known as Sowa-Rigpa, are found here. Eight rare and endangered medicinal plant species have been identified in this sanctuary. Aconitum rotundifolium, Arnebia euchroma, Ephedra gerardiana, Gentiana kurroo and Dactylorhiza hatagirea are some threatened but medicinally important plants found in here.[15]

The Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary (Kibber WLS) is home to the endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia). The Forest Department of Himachal Pradesh reported 25-30 snow leopards in the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary in 2018.[16] A survey in 2021 estimated the total population of snow leopards in Himachal at about 73.[17]

Conservation of snow leopards is a priority. The Himalayan Snow Leopard Research Centre in Kibber village was setup in collaboration with the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore with the goal of instituting and encouraging focused short and long-term studies.[17] Snow leopard sighting tours are popular in winter. These result in noise and pollution of many vehicles. In 2021, the Spiti district administration banned such car rallies in Kibber and other areas favoured by snow leopards.[18] The majority of snow leopards in Himachal were found outside protected areas, indicating that the local people are active in conservation of these big cats.[17]

Other big animals found in the Wildlife Sanctuary are bharal (Psedois nayaur), ibex (Capra sibirica) Himalayan wolf (Canis lupus chanco) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes). The bharal and ibex are prey for snow leopards.[7][19]

Yellow-billed chough

Black redstart (female)

Owing to the sparse vegetation and the extreme winters, fewer birds are found in Spiti compared to the lower Himalayas and the plains of India. In July 1922, the English police officer and ornithologist Hugh Whistler made a short trip from Lahaul down the upper Spiti River. He reached Kibber (Kibar) and Kye Monastery before turning back. During his trip, he collected over 30 species of birds. Of these, about 20 were from Kibber and the area above (now the Kibber WLS). Species collected by Whistler around Kibber included a number of songbirds: several rosefinches, mountain finches and snow finches, redstarts, larks, wrens, house sparrows and martins. Larger birds included a kestrel, lammergeier and ruddy shelducks. Snow pigeons, snow cocks and a griffon were found above Kibber from 4,575–5,185 m (15,010–17,011 ft). Alpine choughs were common.[9]

Most of the species reported by Whistler were also observed by the American zoologist Walter Koelz during his trip down the Spiti river in September 1933. Koelz did not explore the Kibber locality, though.[20]

The eBird.org website, used by birding enthusiasts to record sightings, lists 64 species sighted in Kibber village over the past several years. The most frequently seen species: yellow-billed or alpine chough and red-billed chough; snow finches, mountain finches; house sparrow and russet sparrow; black redstart and white-capped redstart; snow pigeon and hill pigeon; horned lark; Himalayan griffon. Most of the species observed 100 years ago by Whistler are in these eBird checklists.[21]