Modern wildlife conservation initiatives and the pastoralist/hunter nomads of northwestern Tibet

Abstract

In 1993 the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of China established the 300 000 km2 Chang Tang Nature Preserve on the northwestern Tibetan plateau, an action precipitated by rapidly diminishing populations of chiru (Tibetan antelope) and wild yak. Some 30 000 nomadic pastoralists use areas within this reserve for livestock grazing, with many having traditionally depended in part on hunting for supplementary subsistence and trade. Following a 1997 request from TAR leaders for international assistance in addressing the conservation issues associated with the creation of this reserve, the TAR Forestry Bureau and the Network for University Co-operation Tibet — Norway began a 3-year research collaboration program in 2000 to outline human-wildlife interactions and conservation priorities in the western part of the reserve. To date, four excursions (2-6 weeks each) have been made to the western Chang Tang region, and investigations of interactions between pastoralists and wildlife conservation objectives have been initiated in an area of about 5000 km2, including the 2300 km2 Aru basin located at 5000 m elevation at the northern edge of pastoralist inhabitation. The Aru site is unique in that nomads have only recently returned to this previously off-limits basin. But, as in surrounding areas, the people's lives are undergoing changes recently influenced by the introduction of permanent winter houses, changing international trade in shahtoosh and cashmere wool, and a move towards stricter hunting regulations. The northwestern Chang Tang, with the Aru basin as a prime site, represents one of the last strongholds of the endangered chiru and wild yak, as well as home to Tibetan gazelle, kiang, Tibetan argali, blue sheep, wolf, snow leopard and brown bear. In autumn 2000, for example, with approximately 12 000 of the wild ungulates (mostly the migratory chiru) within the Aru basin along with some 8000 domestic livestock, issues of land use overlap and possible grazing competition are clear to both local nomads and reserve managers. Whereas livestock development actions elsewhere on the Tibetan plateau are promoting increased livestock production, they are doing so at the expense of wildlife, and such an approach will not be appropriate in areas where wildlife conservation is a major priority. Although some of the ongoing livestock development programs may be adapted to the western TAR, new approaches to pastoral development will have to be developed in the reserve. The ultimate goal of enhancing the nomads' standard of living, while conserving this truly unique array of biodiversity, presents a daunting challenge

Traditional Hunting of Tibetan Antelope, Its Relation to Antelope Migration, and Its Rapid Transformation in the Western Chang Tang Nature Reserve

“…But this is contradicted by our 2000 and 2002 observations of large late autumn and winter concentrations within the basin, local residents' reporting of substantial numbers of antelope remaining in the basin throughout the winter (Fox et al, 2004; J. L. Fox, unpublished data; T. Dorji, unpublished data), as well as the numerous dzaekha shown in Figure 6. More recently, however, our 2005 and 2006 observations indicate a decreased use of the Aru Basin, with more animals to the east of the basin (and perhaps to the west, which was not surveyed) (J. L. Fox, unpublished data; T. Dorji, unpublished data).…”

“…1). Other than the Aru Basin (Schaller, 1998;Fox et al, 2004), this area has not previously received attention regarding antelope distribution, abundance, and conservation. Huber (2005) has described the various antelope hunting techniques used in northern Gertse County, and provided detailed descriptions of the hunting/trapping aids used in this area.…”

Bos grunniens and Bos mutus (Artiodactyla: Bovidae)

“…The human population of the Tibetan Plateau has increased greatly in the past 50 years to such an extent that all good grazing lands are now occupied and remnant populations of wild yaks are seriously affected. Competition between wild and domestic yaks, and possible disease transmission, are problems Fox et al 2002;Mishra et al 2001), and the large numerical dominance of the domestic yak excludes wild yaks from former habitat (Harris 2008;Mishra et al 2002). Furthermore, introduction of the ''anthropogenic architecture'' of the domestic yak ''genome'' into extant populations of wild yaks is a serious conservation challenge (Harris 2008:155).…”

Pastoral practices in High Asia

“…Fox et al 2004 ;Naess et al 2004 ;Schaller 1997Schaller , 2000. Fox et al 2004 ;Naess et al 2004 ;Schaller 1997Schaller , 2000.…”