Tibetan herders benefit from green grassland

Many Tibetan herdsmen believe that the innumerable sheep and cattle crowding the range are blessings from Buddha, but many are now realizing that less is more. One man, Kunsangyi, has found that restricting grazing actually makes him more money. Kunsangyi tried to raise some 500 sheep ten years ago in Xiahe County of northwest China's Gansu province, but after decades of overgrazing, the grasslands was unable to support so many animals. Sheep nibbled at the tender shoots as soon as they appeared in spring: The animals went hungry, the grasslands shrunk, and desertifying sands encroached on the prairie. "At that time, all my sheep were pretty skinny. Many froze to death in winter because we had no fodder," said the Tibetan herder, who is in his 50s. Dead livestock were disposed of quickly with little or no returns, and emaciated animals had to be sold cheaply. "I made very little or even lost money," Kunsangyi recalled. In 2003, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, which administers Xiahe County, started taking better care of the pasture. They banned grazing on barren grasslands, and restricted herds on land that needed to rest. Maximum herd sizes were assigned to each piece of land. Herdsmen received subsidies if they abided by the bans and restrictions. Kunsangyi received 2.18 yuan per mu (about 2.20 U.S. dollars per acre) in compensation for in his 2000 mu (330 acres) of range, and built a barn with government funds to keep his sheep warm in winter. To conform to the herd limit, Kunsangji reduced the number of his sheep to 300 head, and slowly the grassland began to revive. "My sheep have enough food now, and they grow very fast and strong," he said. Kunsangyi now raises sheep for Gansu Anduo Investment Group, the largest local meat producer. One sheep can be sold to the company for 2,000 yuan (32.70 U.S. dollars) to the company, and he raked in more than 100,000 yuan last year. Wang Zhirong, chairman of Gansu Anduo, said better pasture meant better supply and quality of livestock, with herders now making more money from their traditional way of life. Over the past decade, Gannan has banned herding in 8.87 million mu of grassland, and restricted herding in 28.55 million mu. On top of that 613,000 mu of eroded grasslands has been revegetated, according to Yang Changde, director of Gannan Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau. "Harmony between man and nature" is a major theme in ancient Chinese philosophy, but the rush to make money in modern China has often left the ecosystem behind. For Kelsang Namtso, shifting his focus from quantity to quality was not easy. When the preservation measures were first introduced, he would sometimes break into closed pastures to herd his sheep. "But gradually I realized that only if I respect nature can I benefit from it," said Kelsang Namtso. The 31-year-old herder in Luqu, another county of Gannan, made nearly 100,000 yuan last year by looking after his pasture and raising fatter sheep. Mao Shengwu, head of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, said the beautiful grassland is one of the most precious treasures of Tibetan herders. "If the grassland is preserved and exploited scientifically, it will become a huge 'green bank' for Tibetan herders," Mao said.