In Nepal’s Madhesh Province, widely known as the nation’s ‘Grain Basket’, an unprecedented monsoon failure in July 2025 has led to a severe drought, disrupting rice transplantation and threatening food security. ICIMOD’s Earth Observation analysis reveals over 40% of rice fields under stress, with potential losses of up to 450,000 metric tons, posing a nationwide economic and food crisis.
When I was young, I was often told that nature is the ultimate classroom, but somewhere along the way, I lost that childlike wonder that comes from surrendering to nature. However, my expedition to the permafrost region of western Bhutan has rekindled that dormant curiosity, reminding me never to cease questioning, nor to relent in the pursuit of answers. I have previously written about my encounter with a yak herder, which led me down an unexpected path to explore the possible links between permafrost and cordyceps. This time, I find myself eager to recount an encounter with a creature far smaller but fascinating- the Himalayan Marmot (Marmota himalayana).
Allow me to introduce this snout, burrowing giant rodent of the high mountains, a creature whose existence is entwined with the frozen earth it burrows. This was another encounter which sent me spiralling not into a rabbit hole, as they say, but a marmot hole, dragging me deep into the study of their habitat and another possible relationship with the permafrost.
What piqued my interest was a fresh mound of soil on a sloping patch of ground, about 50 meters away from the campsite. It was evening, we had just completed deploying permafrost sensors, and my teammates were on their way back to their camp to retire for the day. I had time on my side to feed my curiosity.
Photo: Sonam Wangchuk/ICIMOD
Photo: Sonam Wangchuk/ICIMOD
Photo: Sonam Wangchuk/ICIMOD
I climbed up the slope to investigate. The mound consisted of fine, freshly excavated soil, leading into a burrow about 10-15 cm in diameter. Intrigued, I scanned the area and noticed a network of similar mounds scattered across the terrain.
As I moved from one mound to another, I came across faeces in one of the burrows – clear signs of the one that burrows, but I have yet to be honoured with the glimpse of what it looks like. As I studied the burrow network, a question struck me: Am I looking at the work of brilliant engineers of the frozen landscape beneath them?
Eager to confirm my suspicions, I rushed back to camp to share my find and describe the scene. But apparently, my teammates were not new to these scenes. Karma Toeb, a veteran of these mountain slopes, immediately recognised the mounds and burrows. "These are Himalayan marmot burrows," he said, swiping through his phone to show me photographs from past expeditions. I leaned in, fascinated by the sturdy, fur-covered creatures captured in his shots, their body peeking out from burrow entrances.
Himalayan Marmot, as I learn, is the largest high-altitude rodent, primarily found in the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. On IUCN’s Red List, it is classified as the ‘Least Concern’ species due to its wide geographic distribution, but this seemingly friendly creature’s role in ecosystems deserves respect. They serve as prey for endangered species like snow leopards, aerate soil for plant growth, and their sinkholes enhance groundwater recharge.
But for me, their habitat was intriguing: dry, open areas with short grasses at altitudes ranging from 3,000 to 5,500 meters above sea level. This is precisely the altitude range where permafrost is likely present in the Himalayas.
Permafrost is defined as ground that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years. It plays a critical role in maintaining ground stability by binding soil and rock and supports hydrological processes by regulating subsurface water flow and seasonal melt in high-altitude regions. Thawing permafrost can trigger landslides, land degradation, and the release of sediment and carbon, and likely change the hydrological regime, impacting the environment and local communities. Despite its importance, mountain permafrost remains one of the most overlooked components of the cryosphere in the Hindu Kush Himalaya.
Marmots spend most of the winter hibernating in their burrows, which need to remain dry and insulated from extreme cold and frozen ground. This behaviour suggests several possible relationships between marmots and permafrost. Below are some questions to explore:
- Are marmot burrows more likely to be found in areas with no permafrost or only shallow permafrost, since unfrozen ground would be more suitable for burrow construction?
- Does the presence of marmot burrows indicate areas with deeper permafrost, where the seasonally thawed active layer is thick enough to allow burrowing?
- Could the upper altitude limit of marmot habitation roughly correspond to the permafrost boundary, potentially serving as a biological indicator of permafrost extent?
- Could dense marmot burrow networks destabilise the ground and accelerate permafrost thaw, potentially triggering erosion and altering hydrological processes?
In summary, as climate warming pushes permafrost boundaries upward, Himalayan marmots, through their burrowing habits, might serve as a biological indicator of permafrost changes or even contribute to permafrost thaw by disturbing the ground. These connections present fascinating, yet complex, research questions that deserve further exploration. This field observation provided a fresh perspective on the intricate relationships between wildlife and the cryosphere in the high Himalayas – a topic that, in my view, merits much deeper investigation.