Grasslands of the World.pdf - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

DANIEL MILLER
The Tibetan Steppe 323
Most herders are Tibetan but there are small groups of Mongols and
Kazakhs in Qinghai. Population density across much of the Steppe is less than
two persons per square kilometre (Ryavec and Vergin, 1998). For a distance of
almost 3 000 km, Tibetan is spoken and has been a written language for about
1 300 years. In recent decades, pastoralists across most of the Steppe have built
houses and livestock shelters, on traditional winter -spring pastures where they
spend up to 6–7 months of the year. The vast majority of herders have been
“settled” for some time, but graze their livestock in a transhumant manner
(Miller, 1998c).
Livestock management
Pastoral practices are similar across the Steppe , although the composition and
size of herds differ. Herders keep milking (Plates 8.13 and 8.14) and dry herds
of yak , yak-cattle crosses, sheep (Plate 8.15), goats and horses. The yak in many
ways defines pastoralism across the plateau; they are preferred for riding in
rough country, at extreme altitudes and in snow (Ekvall, 1974); their dung is an
important fuel. The Tibetan term for yaks, nor, is also translated as “wealth”.
Sheep and goats are most important in the west where they suit the vegetation
better than do yaks; there sheep and goats are milked; in the east, yaks supply
all the nomads’ milk needs. Mutton is the preferred meat . Goats yield cashmere
, meat and milk; Tibetan cashmere is among the best in the world. Sheep,
goats and camels (Plate 8.16) are also used as pack animals but, with expanding
road access , their role for transport has diminished. Horses are used primarily
for riding, but are also used as pack animals. Mares are not milked and Tibetans
Plate 8.13
Milking yak .