Pastures in South and Central Tibet (China)

During the past few winters several nomadic areas in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of the People's Republic of China have been greatly affected by unusually heavy snowfall. Losses in Nacqu Prefecture alone were estimated ar 1.03 million animals or about 15 % of the Prefecture's totallivestock population (MILLER, 1998). Thus far there have only been theories about the true causes of these catastrophes. Unusual weather conditions or long-rerm dimatic changes may playa certain role, but most probably only in combination with far-reaching changes in pasture rnanagement. An overview ofthe political and socio-economic changes and their consequences for the pasture ecosystem, including man and wildlife, has been presented by MILLER et al. (1992). During the course ofan interdisciplinary pilot project in August 1998, a joint expedition of Western and Tibetan scientists (see Part I, HOLZNER and KRIECHBAUM, 2000) was carried out covering a vast area of rangeland in southern and central Xizang. The following discussion is based not only on our observations during this trip, but also on the knowledge and opinions of the local officials, experts and nomads.