The privatization process of rangeland and its impacts on pastoral dynamics in the Hindu-Kush Himalaya: the case of Western Sichuan, China

This article disucsses the effects of the last four decades of change in China in relation to traditional Tibetan pastoral production systems. The article particularly studies the government's ambitious rangeland intensification scheme throughout the Plateau in response to perceived rangeland degradation.

The article concludes that:

• once communally managed rangelands are being "privatized" under the Household Responsibility System
• these changes have far-reaching implications for pastoralism in the future
• settlement and intensively managed livestock production brings improved access and services to previously remote nomadic areas
• sedenterisation is negative for biodiversity conservation and social cohesion
• accompanying settlement is a corresponding reduction in the spatial mobility of livestock herds which means more condensed grazing pressures on residual open areas, thus reducing plant species diversity and productivity
• the allocation process has led to social conflicts, a breakdown of traditional institutions, and a deepening division between rich and poor, as wealthier nomads can more easily acquire inputs

The article recommends that:

• communal rangeland management systems are recommended as an alternative to "privatization" through collaboration with government agencies responsible for land management.
• collaboration requires fundamental changes in policy, primarily assuring secure tenure to communal groups, and providing legitimate legal rights and support to local institutions
• it also requires more inclusive, participatory methods of rangeland research and planning, that translate directly into management action