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

We shall increase restoration <strong>and</strong> management of the already damaged environment,
<strong>and</strong> strive to create clean <strong>and</strong> beautiful villages. The modern ambience
will promote the healthy <strong>and</strong> sustainable development of the Namtso Scenic
Area, contributing to a balanced development between urban <strong>and</strong> rural areas.
5.4 We shall guide <strong>and</strong> encourage the pastoralists to participate in
tourism <strong>and</strong> reduce the pressure of livestock on the rangel<strong>and</strong>s
We conducted in-depth interviews with two pastoralists in the town of Namtso
in order to underst<strong>and</strong> the history <strong>and</strong> size of their tour operations, as well as
their modes of operation, revenues <strong>and</strong> the kind of services they provided for
tourists. We were trying to underst<strong>and</strong> the preferences of herdsman between
the tourism industry <strong>and</strong> the practice of animal husb<strong>and</strong>ry, <strong>and</strong> their views
regarding rangel<strong>and</strong> degradation.
They gave their livestock to be cared for by their parents or brothers while
they were busy catering to tourists. They said that every year they earned more
cash income by participating in tourism than they had from selling livestock.
However, they believed that tourism had not developed enough to replace
animal husb<strong>and</strong>ry. While supporting tourism development, they felt that the
government needed to adopt appropriate administrative measures to restrain
the further development of animal husb<strong>and</strong>ry.
From our survey, we found that the government quota for each person in Dabney
Village is 22 sheep units per person. At present, 30 % of the herdsmen exceed the
quota, while 20 % of the herdsmen are under the quota. Those herdsmen who
exceed their quota rent the rangel<strong>and</strong>s of those who are under the quota with
meagre compensation. In the end, the total amount of livestock exceeds the
quota. The town of Namtso has the biggest area of severely degraded <strong>and</strong> low
quality rangel<strong>and</strong>s in Damxung County, totalling 6,556 ha. The total number
of livestock from this town ranks second in the eight towns of Damxung. In
2009, the number of livestock in the town of Namtso was 100,494. With an
average of 22.1 sheep units per person, it was still over the quota.
Therefore, we shall step up efforts to guide herders to be involved in tourism
with the establishment of more incentive mechanisms. We shall give more compensation
to herdsmen who actively participate in tourism, as was done in the
Emei Mountain Scenic Area of Sichuan Province. Farmers in Emei Mountain
Scenic Area are encouraged to participate in the reforestation campaign <strong>and</strong>
strictly forbidden from cutting down trees. The local government gives free
food to local people <strong>and</strong> incentivizes their participation in tourism to increase
cash incomes. By adopting similar measure here in Namtso, we may be able
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> > > 3. Eco-tourism <strong>and</strong> Nature Protection in Relation to <strong>Pastoralism</strong> <strong>and</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong> <strong>Management</strong>