a high altitude wildlife sanctuary located in the Ladakhi adjunct of the Changtang plateau in the Leh District, Ladakh. It is important as one of the few places in India with a population of the kiang or Tibetan wild ass, as well as the rare black-necked crane. The Changtang Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary is part of the Hindu Kush Himalaya, the natural enchantress. The altitude of the sanctuary varies from , and the topography is formed of deep gorges and vast plateaus. There are around 11 lakes and 10 marshes in the Changtang Cold Desert Sanctuary, and the majestic Indus River flows through the sanctuary, dividing it into two parts. The cold desert of this wildlife sanctuary is sparse but the marginal conditions have resulted in species with some remarkable characteristics. Seven rare and endangered plants which some believe have medicinal properties were discovered here by C.P. Kala. Three of these species are listed as vulnerable and one as endangered on the IUCN Red List (Arnebia euchroma, Geranium sibiricum, Lancea tibetica, Lloydia serotina, and Ephedra gerardiana). Other geographic features The Tso Moriri is among the highest lakes in the world of its size. Tso Moriri is spread over an area of , with a maximum depth of and situated at an altitude of . In November 2002, the lake was designated as a Ramsar site. The Pangong Tso is situated at a height of around . It covers an area of (from India to China). The water in India is salty, in China interest not, but in spite of that, during the winter the water freezes. The Pashmina goat is famous for its ultra fine Cashmere wool. Pasmina in Persian means 'made from wool' and in Kashmiri it translates to 'soft gold'. This breed of goat inhabits the Changthang plateau and therefrom gets its name. Pashmina shawls are hand spun in Kashmir and Nepal. See also Changthangi Hoh Xil References Namgail, T., Bhatnagar, Y.V., Mishra, C., Bagchi, S. (2007). Pastoral nomads of the Indian changtang: production system, land use and socio-economic changes. Human Ecology, 35: 497-504. Mohd Iqbal Yatoo, Maheshwar Singh, Syed Shafat Kubrevi, Mir Shabir, Ruksar Dar, Kunzes Angmo (2014). Safeguarding a national asset: a review on problems faced by pashmina farmers in Changthang and their amelioration. Indian Journal of Animal Science. 84(12):1251-1255. Footnotes Who cares about the Chang-thang? Landforms of Tibet Landforms of Ladakh Plateaus of China Plateaus