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

training <strong>and</strong> have created bonds between professionals from Eurasia. The participants
are trained in methods <strong>and</strong> in themes based on most recent concepts
<strong>and</strong> research findings by expert trainers. This approach enables the transfer
of knowledge between open-minded professionals. They are the heart of this
programme <strong>and</strong> have created a community of learning, exchange <strong>and</strong> communication
that is important for follow-up activities. Regional workshops <strong>and</strong>
training courses are implemented in areas where the ILT-fellows come from. In
addition to these brokers for professional communication their colleagues can
participate, thus exp<strong>and</strong>ing the community of knowledge <strong>and</strong> tapping regional
<strong>and</strong> international knowledge.
Therefore I wish the Lhasa regional workshop on “<strong>Pastoralism</strong> <strong>and</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong>
<strong>Management</strong> on the Tibetan Plateau in the Context of Climate <strong>and</strong> Global
Change” a good start on the “roof of the world”. Here in Lhasa we are in a
location where pastoralism has supported urban development. Herders from
the vast tracts of the Changtang Plateau <strong>and</strong> the remote Himalayan valleys can
be seen. On our field visit we shall experience the dimensions of what pastoralism
means in the context of the Tibetan Plateau. <strong>Pastoralism</strong> is not restricted
to academic deliberations. <strong>Pastoralism</strong> is the daily life experience of herders
<strong>and</strong> their households, <strong>and</strong> pastoralism is always in the process of change. This
conference is a timely gathering in order to underst<strong>and</strong> the envisaged modernisation
of herders’ lives on the Tibetan Plateau, to get insights in programmes
of nature protection <strong>and</strong> rangel<strong>and</strong> management as they have been designed in
the framework of the “green policies” <strong>and</strong> new “grassl<strong>and</strong> laws”. The impact of
resettlement <strong>and</strong> modernisation will be discussed in the framework of economic
uplift <strong>and</strong> support. The winds of change are blowing strongly. To underst<strong>and</strong>
these changes <strong>and</strong> their impact on the immediate future of pastoralists is a
prime goal of this conference. Let us start the workshop with sincere thanks to
the organizers from our programme partner institution TAAAS in the excellent
preparation of this conference <strong>and</strong> for their hospitality <strong>and</strong> warm welcome!
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