Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PROTECTING THE PLATEAU
Nature reserves officially protect over 20% of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), al-
though many exist on paper only. The reserve with the highest profile is the Qomolangma
National Park, a 34,000-sq-km protected area straddling the 'third pole' of the Everest re-
gion. The park promotes the involvement of the local population, which is essential as
around 67,000 people live within the park.
Tibet's newest reserve is the Changtang Nature Reserve, set up in 1993 with the assist-
ance of famous animal behaviourist George Schaller. At 247,120 sq km (larger than Ari-
zona), this is the largest nature reserve in the world after Greenland National Park. En-
dangered species in the park include bharal, argali sheep, wolves, lynxes, gazelles, snow
leopards, wild yaks, antelopes, brown bears and wild asses.
Other protected areas include the Nam-tso National Park, the Great Canyon of the
Yarlung Tsangpo Nature Reserve (formerly the Metok reserve) to the south of Namche
Barwa, the Dzayul (Zayu) Reserve along the far southeast border with Assam, and the
Kyirong and Nyalam Reserves near the Nepali border. Unfortunately, these reserves enjoy
little protection or policing.
A Fragile Ecosystem
Tibet has an abundance of natural resources: many types of minerals, strong sunlight,
fierce winds and raging rivers that supply water to an estimated 50% of the world's popu-
lation.
The Tibetan Buddhist view of the environment has long stressed the intricate and inter-
connected relationship between the natural world and human beings. Buddhist practice in
general stands for moderation and is against overconsumption, and tries to avoid wherever
possible hunting, fishing and the taking of animal life. Tibetan nomads, in particular, have
traditionally lived in a fine balance with their harsh environment.
Modern communist experiments, such as collectivisation and the changing of century-
old farming patterns (for example, from barley to wheat and rice), upset the fragile balance
in Tibet and resulted in a series of great disasters and famines in the 1960s (as, indeed,
they did in the rest of China). By the mid-1970s, the failure of collectivisation was widely
recognised and Tibetans have since been allowed to return to traditional methods of work-
ing the land.
