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

southern mountainous region of TAR, with the dominant vegetation types of
alpine steppe <strong>and</strong> alpine shrubby grassl<strong>and</strong> covering 173.6 thous<strong>and</strong> km2, agriculture
<strong>and</strong> urbanization are the most important sectors, even if environmental
restoration is urgently needed to control soil erosion <strong>and</strong> desertification. In the
Eastern <strong>and</strong> Southeastern region of TAR, which is dominated by broad-leaf forest,
subalpine conifer forest <strong>and</strong> alpine shrub, protection of the natural forests
is the top priority for conserving regional biodiversity, reducing soil erosion
<strong>and</strong> preventing natural hazards such as l<strong>and</strong>slides <strong>and</strong> glacial lake outbursts.
Afforestation, the reforestation of steppe farml<strong>and</strong>, <strong>and</strong> the “retire livestock <strong>and</strong>
restore grassl<strong>and</strong>” projects were carried out with the support of several national
programmes.
In accordance with the eco-shelter programme, three important action plans
were framed <strong>and</strong> are being implemented in the TAR. The conservation plan
includes the protection of rangel<strong>and</strong>s; the control of forest fires, pests <strong>and</strong>
diseases; the protection of wildlife <strong>and</strong> plants <strong>and</strong> the improvement of protected
area management; the conservation of wetl<strong>and</strong>s; <strong>and</strong> the development
of alternative rural energy, in particular using wind <strong>and</strong> solar energy on the
Plateau. In the restoration action plan, the establishment of a forest shelter belt
<strong>and</strong> artificial pasturel<strong>and</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> the control of dust, s<strong>and</strong>storm <strong>and</strong> soil erosion
were highlighted. As the implementation period of the eco-shelter programme
will last twenty years, a network of monitoring <strong>and</strong> assessment is being set
up to evaluate the results of conservation <strong>and</strong> restoration, <strong>and</strong> the programme
outcomes.
As of 2011, 2.5 billion Yuan has been invested (Dai 2011). Some of the primary
results of the conservation, restoration <strong>and</strong> livelihood development are very
positive, with 1.5 million hectares of rangel<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> 23 thous<strong>and</strong> hectares of
natural forest under protection or re-growth. Supported by this programme, 15
thous<strong>and</strong> households can access electricity, <strong>and</strong> 124 thous<strong>and</strong> households can
use biogas for family heating <strong>and</strong> cooking (Laba 2010).
5 Some Reconsideration <strong>and</strong> Lessons learnt
Although the eco-shelter programme has produced some promising successes,
some reconsideration needs to be made currently in terms of policy making,
programme design, <strong>and</strong> programme implementation. The following issues
should be emphasized <strong>and</strong> integrated into the ongoing programme action plans.
(i) Climate change <strong>and</strong> its impacts on the Tibetan Plateau need be
taken into account in the regionalization of the ecosystem in
terms of function, threats, conservation, <strong>and</strong> restoration planning.
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