Pastoralism and Rangeland Management on the Tibetan Plateau in ...

of family income, <strong>and</strong> are susceptible to the great influence of the natural elements.
They pastoralists also often have very little education in modern science
<strong>and</strong> economics. Hence, their capacity to participate in the market is relatively
poor, resulting in a simplistic <strong>and</strong> traditional value chain in the pastoral communities.
The manageable capacity of Tashi Duo Isl<strong>and</strong> is to receive more than 1,000
people at a time. The per capita net income of 2010 was 5,488 Yuan (China
Academy of Urban Planning <strong>and</strong> Design 2008). Seventy percent of the tourism
revenues come from Dabney Village <strong>and</strong> 30 % from Namtso Village. A
pastoralist can make 20–180 Yuan per day by being a horse or yak guide. The
output value of the catering <strong>and</strong> accommodation sector reaches one million
Yuan. In the town of Namu, for example, the per capita net income figures were
1,620 Yuan, 2,610 Yuan, <strong>and</strong> 3,001 Yuan respectively for 2001, 2004, <strong>and</strong> 2009
with an average annual growth rate of 172.56 Yuan.
4 Problems in Tourism Development of the NSA
The development of tourism resources has brought great economic <strong>and</strong> social
benefits to pastoralists, contributing to the rapid growth of pastoral incomes.
However, some development <strong>and</strong> management problems are also increasingly
prominent. Through field visits, we found problems in the four main areas
outlined below.
4.1 Administrative restrictions <strong>and</strong> barriers are causing development
disparities in different scenic spots
Due to transportation constraints, most of the current tourist traffic to the
NSA ends up on Tashi Duo Isl<strong>and</strong>, Damxung. However, with an improvement
of traffic conditions in Bangor County, visitors in the future will have direct
access to Nagqu Territory via the State Expressway 109.
The value of various tourism resources will change as will the tourism development
patterns in the NSA. Tourist attractions of Bangor County are currently
in the planning stages. The famous Dolma Canyon of the Sangdan Gangsan
Mountains in Gulu Town of Nagqu County has already started initial development
as have other attractions near State Expressway 109. This could lead to
duplication in planning, redundant construction <strong>and</strong> conflicts between resources
<strong>and</strong> tourists. <strong>Management</strong> barriers might be numerous <strong>and</strong> the market
mechanisms might run into trouble.
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