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

that remain on the grazing grounds in the vicinity of the village. These animals
then inflict considerable damage on the pastures. In the Eastern Pamirs, those
who send their animals to the pastures do not always receive the benefit of
any milk products for the duration of the season. Most frequently, these milk
products help to form a part of the payment of the shepherd.
Photo 3: Kirghiz yurt in the Eastern Pamirs of Murghab District
(photograph © Hermann Kreutzmann August 28, 2001)
Also, in the Eastern Pamirs, the local herders (chiefly the Kirghiz) use yurts
(chailoq). These are convenient dwellings for a nomadic lifestyle, <strong>and</strong> moveable
from one place to another (Photo 2). The other herders of the region should
use this method. This method is also appropriate for the herders from western
<strong>and</strong> other parts, whose livelihood depends on livestock development The local
herders have the experience of training yaks in order to use them as beasts of
burden for transporting loads.
4 Recommendations
1. The low level of the productivity of pastoral l<strong>and</strong>s is shaping an acute
deficit of products of the field <strong>and</strong> requires a profound investigation
of the state of the pasture territories <strong>and</strong> a search for effective ways of
strengthening the fodder base.
2. Naturally, pastures for hay are very different from cultivated pastures in
respect of their biological <strong>and</strong> economic productivity. Hence, the necessity
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