Of late, cattle herders of Merak and Sakteng have been looking for a solution to a new problem that they say could slowly threaten their livelihood. Yak and cattle herders in the remote dungkhag say that their pastureland is slowly shrinking after a huge portion of it was absorbed by the 650 sq km Sakteng wildlife sanctuary. Herders say that, because of the sanctuary, clearing of forest for pastureland had also been stopped. The problem is not so much disallowing felling of trees as the fast spreading forest coverage, according to herders.