Range
Map (Redrawn from Schaller, 1998)
Opening
There is practically no such thing as “virgin land”
and natural vegetation in China anymore, as artificial interference has made
heavy impacts on practically every inch of China’s vast landscape. China is the
most populous country of the world, and when 80% of her population is creating
their sustenance from the land and constantly morphing the land to fit their
needs at a gargantuan scale, it is amazing to find a large landmass like the
Arctic Steppes that is comparatively untouched by man. (1)
Agro-ecological zones of Tibet.
SOURCE: Mountain
Environment and Natural Resources Information Service (MENRIS), ICIMOD.http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/Y4856E/y4856e0d.htm
Past the Himalaya Mountain range is a cold and
barren land where the average elevation is higher than the majority of the
Rocky Mountains. This place is known as “The Roof of the World.” It’s the
biggest and most elevated plateau on Earth and responsible for providing the
water that flows through at least eight major rivers. Imagine a flat valley
almost constantly frozen year-round, with more than 17,000 glaciers covering
its surface—that’s the Alpine Steppes of Tibet. (1)
Climate Map of the Tibetan Steppes
Source: http://climatechange.umaine.edu/Research/Expeditions/2005/Geladandong/Map.jpg
Climate Map of the Tibetan Steppes
Source: http://climatechange.umaine.edu/Research/Expeditions/2005/Geladandong/Map.jpg
Past
The Alpine Steppes occupy 25% of the total land area
in China, yet has only .8% of the total land available for agriculture, and .8%
of the population. This ecosystem has the highest grasslands in the world, most
of it measuring at 4000 meters. Along with the colossal grasslands, it is home
to one of the harshest grazing environments in the world, nonetheless, its
pastures provide feed for 12 million yak, 30 million sheep and goats, and home
for five million people. The grass has co-evolved to the environment to become
hardy, and having a short growing season due to strong winds, high levels of
evapotranspirations, where water is transferred from plants and soil due to the
arid environment, and high levels of solar radiation due to the height. (2)(4)
The Tibetan antelope, chiru, and the world’s largest
sheep, Argali, of the Alpine Steppes were originally subject to heavy slaughter
and poaching at an unsustainable rate for their respective high-quality
underfur and wool. A short fifty years ago, there were a million chiru, and now
only 75,000 remain. This problem was remedied by the creation of the Altun
Mountain National Nature Reserve in 1983, the Tibetan Autonomous Region in the
Changtang Nature Reserve, a region spanning 334,000 square kilometers, about
the size of New Mexico, and the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve in 1997.
Furthermore, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), has prohibited the trade of fur and wool. With
the decrease of demand, commercial poaching is likely to diminish greatly. (3)
Present
Chiru
next to the Railway
Source: http://money.163.com/09/0628/19/5CTUTMKH00253B0H.html#from=relevant
Source: http://money.163.com/09/0628/19/5CTUTMKH00253B0H.html#from=relevant
The
GOOD
Throughout China’s history, roads and trade routes
were paved to connect the Tibetan people to their neighbors. However, these
treks were arduous and incredibly time consuming; ranging from no less than six
months to a year. Originally, Camels were used to transport consignment to
Tibet. Twelve camels died for every kilometer, or 3/5ths of a mile. To remedy
this expensive and time consuming process, and spare a few camels’ lives, China
began construction of the Qinghai-Xizang railroad to connect Tibet to the rest
of China. Pressurized cabins protect passengers from the extreme altitude of
the route, about 13,000 feet above sea level. This railroad is responsible for
the transportation of roughly 85% of Tibet’s shipments. Furthermore, the
railway serves an important role as a method for Tibet to boost its capability
of self-development. It also facilitates Tibet’s inevitable economic growth. (5)(6)
Qingzang Railway
Source: http://earthdata.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2005_permafrost_tuotuo.jpg
According to scientist of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, Tingjun Zhang says that “The Qinghai-Xizang railroad is the most ambitious construction project in a permafrost region since the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline” Zhang studies the various effects of climate change on permafrost areas like these all around the globe.
The BAD
Map showing intersection of railway and the Chiru migration paths
Source: https://www.eeb.ucla.edu/Faculty/Shaffer/pubs/Xia2007.pdf
The chiru is a Tibetan antelope is one of the few
threatened animals in on the Arctic Steppes. They depend on seasonal migration
to reproduce. Every summer, all the female antelopes travel 180 miles from
their winter mating grounds to the summer calving grounds where they raise the
young calves. Originally, this population was subject to poaching for the
valuable chiru fur, Shatoosh. However, it is now one of the most protected
chiru populations. (8)
The problem with the newly built railway and highway
running parallel to it, is that the railway intersects the chiru populations’
migration pathways. The railway stands as a massive physical barrier and its
impact on the chiru migration patterns is blatantly observable. When antelopes
reach the railway, they hesitate to traverse under the arches of the railway
underpasses, clumping into large groups on one side of the pass. Even on the
rare occasion when the chiru take the chance and cross the railway underpasses,
even the sight of an unnatural small hole, bricks, or constructions tools is
enough to spook the easily frightened antelopes, which in turn causes them to
turn around. Like most other wild animals, anything artificial or remotely
human-related scares them, and a massive concrete structure is not exactly the
most subtle way to be unimposing. Furthermore, the implementation of coal by
the trains will pollute the air, and endanger the already thin atmosphere.
Human interference brought by heightened levels of tourism in Tibet also poses
an uncertain effect on this already susceptible ecoregion. (7)
Fortunately
measures have already been proposed to slowly remedy this issue of affected
migration. Human activities along these paths are limited, and the
Transportation Department responsible for the construction and maintenance of
the roadways have removed all equipment and restored the natural vegetation at
the original construction sites. Furthermore, the native inhabitants have been
informed of the sensitivity of the chirus’ migration route. Lastly, the nature
reserves’ managements have been cooperating with each other to reduce the
disturbance to these animals. In junction with the antelopes slowly adjusting
their migration patterns and paths to synergize with the man-made obstruction,
these measures will allow for the chiru to eventually coexist with human
interference and continue their natural sequences of life. (7)
Year
|
Chiru Population
#
|
1950
|
500,000-1,000,000
|
1993
|
100,000
|
1998
|
< 75,000
|
2000
|
65,000
|
2001
|
65,000-75,000
|
2012
|
75,000
|
Scatterplot based
on the chart above,
Data Sources:
http://www.animalinfo.org/species/artiperi/panthodg.htm
http://www.animalinfo.org/species/artiperi/panthodg.htm
IUCN 2000a
East 1993
Schaller 1998
IUCN 2000a
Mallon & Kingswood 2001
http://blog.adreamforabetterworld.com/tag/migration/
East 1993
Schaller 1998
IUCN 2000a
Mallon & Kingswood 2001
http://blog.adreamforabetterworld.com/tag/migration/
Future
It is likely that the many major rivers that begin
in the Arctic Steppes will become very important in the future. The
preservation and management of these sources will become pivotal on a global
scale as these river origins will need to be protected to ensure constant water
supply to much of the Indo-Chinese regions. If properly taken care of, the
pastures and grasslands will continue to contribute sources of water, wildlife
habitat, and forage for livestock and the overall economic development in the
region.(3)
Furthermore, the stepping stones of transforming the
massive pastoral livestock population have already slowly begun to be placed as
a privatized market economy of less mobile, herded livestock emerges. From
these herders will come livestock farmers due to commercial restructuring of
the pastoral cultures. (3)
Map of the distribution of the four main livestock
production systems.
Source: http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/Y4856E/y4856e0d.htm
Source: http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/Y4856E/y4856e0d.htm
Yaks
Source: http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/Y4856E/y4856e0d.htm
This ecoregion is presently very well preserved and
there is no extreme endangerment posed by human intervention, and since the
problems that exist currently are not extremely significant, but there are
already procedures being executed to cure them, this ecoregion will continue to
be in a good state. As long as the balance between people and the ecosystem
remains stagnant or improves as it has been, the preservation of this ecoregion
will remain pristine, and one of the few “virgin” and natural.
Thoughts
In order to preserve and maintain a the positive
sustainability of this ecoregion, the public must be educated to ensure that
they do not unknowingly affect this sensitive ecoregion negatively.
Furthermore, the government plays a significant role in the protection of the
environment and its inhabitants. It is the job of the government to enforce the
laws against illegal poaching and use of the furs and wools of the species
living on the Steppes.
Reference
1. GeoJournal
– Zhao SongQiao
2. Vegetation
of China
3. FAO
Corporate Document Repository: Tibetan Steppe
4. WWF
Ecoregions
5. NASA
EOSDIS: Riding the Permafrost Express
6. Xinhua
News Agency, March 9, 2001
7. MTAC:
Jung-sung Hsu, “Qinghai-Tibet Railway’s Impact on Tibet http://www.mtac.gov.tw/mtacbooke/upload/09409/0202/2.pdf
8. “The
effect of the Qinghai-Tibet railway on the migration of Tibetan antelope Pantholops
hodgsonii in Hoh-xil National Nature Reserve, China”
Lin Xia, Qisen Yang, Zengchao Li,
Yonghua Wu and Zuojian Feng
https://www.eeb.ucla.edu/Faculty/Shaffer/pubs/Xia2007.pdf