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

Revolution, here, refers to the life cycle of herds. In case a disaster becomes
too destructive, the only rational choice of individual herders is to increase
the size of their herd (Figure 2). Each household’s efforts to increase the size
of their herd would result in a tremendous pressure on the pasture <strong>and</strong> the
rangel<strong>and</strong>s. These rangel<strong>and</strong>s cannot provide adequate nutrient reserves for
winter herds. It is quite likely that after several years of growth the herds can
experience frustrating setbacks due to a disaster. The impact of this kind of
natural adjustment is monumental. Even rich herdsmen can be put back a few
years. As for the poor households, they may become completely bankrupt. This
cycle has continued, <strong>and</strong> the frequency of it is accelerating with the emerging
global climate change. Today, people almost forget about the meat, milk, fur
<strong>and</strong> other enjoyments that rangel<strong>and</strong>s can provide, <strong>and</strong> instead concentrate
more on pastoralism-related disasters.
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3 % growth for the
second disaster-free
year
3 % growth for the first
disaster-free year
Inter-annual
growth <strong>and</strong> loss
cycle
3 % growth for the
third disaster-free year
15 % loss for a year
with a major disaster
Figure 2: Inter-annual growth <strong>and</strong> loss cycle in the livestock sector triggered by
disasters
The purpose of analyzing the inconsistency in the rotation <strong>and</strong> revolution of
traditional livestock production is to point out that the production mode of nomadism
does not provide enough storage of fodder for disaster protection <strong>and</strong>
to highlight that individual herdsmen pursue the high-risk pastoral practice of
constantly increasing the size of their herds. The biggest problem with both
rotation <strong>and</strong> revolution is the lack of fodder. In this regard, it is safe to say that
many lessons have been learnt: “Fodder comes first” <strong>and</strong> “Fodder is the foundation
of pastoralism”. However, due to the constraint of a persistent mindset that
seeks immediate solutions, the fodder resources available for the needy season
are few. The high-risk pastoral practices have not been fundamentally changed.