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Cherishing China's grasslands

On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, Fauna & Flora International is encouraging nomad communities to view wildlife conservation as a means to improve livelihoods and protect their unique culture.

Tibetan nomads feel strong ties to the high grasslands and their wildlife. Their traditions and religion teach them to promote harmony between humans and nature. Under government plans, however, nomads face being displaced from large tracts of the grasslands and resettled in town, at great expense and with unknown consequences for the herders’ lives and cultural traditions.

With the support of the Darwin Initiative and other donors, Fauna & Flora International works with a local Tibetan organization near the source of the Yangtze to develop conservation plans and implement effective local protection for key species including the snow leopard and black-necked crane, and for fragile habitats such as wetlands. Encouraging collaboration between bureaucratic agencies and local herders is key to the success of this approach. Local organizations are now able to communicate effectively with both nomads and government department heads.

The positive results achieved so far in one community encouraged Fauna & Flora International to address the issue of rangeland degradation as well as wildlife protection. Under the leadership of Winrock International, Fauna & Flora International is working with the large Sustainable Tibetan Communities Project in the Gartse area of eastern Kham. In this remote region of high pastures and snow-covered mountains, nomadic livelihoods depend entirely on raising yaks. But by involving local people in environmental protection and management of their own rangelands, Fauna & Flora International aims to demonstrate to the government that herders can be effective stewards of the land.

One exciting outcome of the programme has been the training and deputization of local honorary wildlife wardens, including 25 Tibetan nuns who carry out wildlife monitoring and build awareness for nature protection among pilgrims who visit their monastery.

There are also plans for a community-managed nature reserve to protect the wildlife and the environment on a locally revered sacred mountain. This is particularly important now that tourism development has arrived in this remote region. Tourists offer an additional source of income for local communities, but they also make waste disposal more problematic. Tourism can also increase demand for wildlife products, such as furs and medicinal plants, leading to more poaching and over-harvesting.