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

angel<strong>and</strong>s. Extensive pastoral production covers some 25 percent of the world’s
l<strong>and</strong> area <strong>and</strong> produces 10 percent of the meat used for human consumption
(FAO 2001). Pastoral production is split between the extensive enclosed systems
that are typical of North America, Australia <strong>and</strong> parts of South America, <strong>and</strong>
the open access systems of Africa, the Andes, Asia <strong>and</strong> Siberia, which are still
largely the “province of ‘traditional’ producers”(FAO 2001).
<strong>Pastoralism</strong> in its traditional form is centred on the provision of products <strong>and</strong>
services for basic subsistence. Therefore, the types of animals <strong>and</strong> the amount
of animals of each type kept by each household are mainly dictated by local
needs. In many remote <strong>and</strong> marginal places which are often the cases of pastoral
areas, animals must perform numerous services that are provided by other ways
in areas with better market accessibility <strong>and</strong> more convenient social service
network. For example, in the mountains of HKH <strong>and</strong> Tibet Plateau, people
simultaneously keep yellow cattle (Taurus domesticus), yak (Bos grunniens), Pian
Niu (a crossbreed of Yak <strong>and</strong> yellow cattle), mule, horse (Equus cabalus), donkey
(Equus asinus), sheep (Ovis aries) <strong>and</strong> goat (Capra hircus) (Table 1).
Table 1: Animals <strong>and</strong> their functions in Hengduan Mountains of East Tibet
Plateau
Animals Functions
Yellow cattle Crossbreeding with yak to give birth
to Pian Niu; draught; manure; Milk
Pian Niu or Yak-cattle crossbreed
(male)
Portage, draught; manure
Pian Niu or Yak-cattle crossbreed
(female)
Milk; manure
Yak (female) Milk; hair; portage; draught
Yak (male) Crossbreeding with cow to give
birth to Pian Niu; portage; draught;
hair
Horses Portage; crossbreeding to give birth
to mules; manure
Mules Portage; manure
Donkeys Portage; crossbreeding to give birth
to mules; manure
Sheep Wool; cash; meat; milk; manure
Goats Cash; meat; hair, milk; manure
Source: Yi et al. 2008
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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>