VZCZCXRO9586
PP RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHCN #0311/01 3512232
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 172232Z DEC 09
FM AMCONSUL CHENGDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3643
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHC/USAID WASHDC
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 4359

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000311 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/CM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAGR EFIN PGOV PINR SENV CH
SUBJECT: TIBET: LOCAL AUTHORITIES MOVE TO RESTORE GRASSLANDS, BUT 
HIGH PLATEAU DESERT CONDITIONS SUGGEST EFFORTS MAY BE FAILING 
 
CHENGDU 00000311  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) This cable contains sensitive but unclassified 
information - not for distribution on the Internet. 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary.  The Director General of the Animal Husbandry 
Bureau in Lhoka Prefecture said recently that suitable 
grasslands for grazing animals were becoming increasingly 
scarce.  To combat this, the Prefecture: introduced the 
grassland contract system, encouraged returning pastures to 
natural grasslands, and tried to limit the size of grazing 
herds.  This official also blamed global warming for shrinking 
grasslands.  Rising incomes and a growing population in Lhoka 
may also be contributing to increased demand for livestock and 
pressure to overgraze.  ConGenOffs observed extensive, 
Sahara-like sand dunes in Lhoka, and large herds of goats 
appeared to be scavenging for every available blade of grass. 
Better seed varieties and veterinary health are improving rural 
incomes.  More peasants are entering the cash economy and 
opening up bank accounts in an expanding rural financial system. 
 End Summary. 
 
 
 
Trying to Reign in the Herd, 
 
But Desertification Appears to Be Worsening 
 
------------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Director General Tenzin, an ethnic Tibetan, told Consul 
General November 24 that his Bureau had noticed that land 
available in Lhoka for grazing animals had declined.  In 
response to the loss of grasslands over the last several years, 
Tenzin said officials in Lhoka implemented rules on the number 
of animals permitted to graze per hectare of grassland.  These 
rules are outlined under the grassland business contract 
responsibility system [caochang jingying chengbao zirenzhi], 
which include contracts that herders sign.  Lhoka's grassland 
management practices align with the 2005 grassland management 
program outlined by the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) 
government, which have been implemented in most parts of the 
TAR.  Officials aim to reduce the number of grazing animals, 
such as cows, by offering unspecified subsidies to farmers to 
sell or slaughter their livestock. 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Tenzin said that officials had fenced off certain areas 
to prohibit all grazing and allow grasslands time to grow (tuimu 
huancao).  Some bans on grazing in selected areas lasted for as 
long as five years -- a length of time consistent with the 
fragile, slow growth ecosystem of high altitude Tibetan 
plateaus.  Without specifying the time, Tenzin said that the 
prefectural government had invested about 10 million USD to 
protect the grasslands.  He claimed that these efforts had been 
successful in controlling grassland degradation and 
desertification, but did not provide specific data to support 
this claim. 
 
 
 
¶5. Tenzin claimed that global warming also contributed to 
shrinking grassland, but did not explain why.  He said only that 
Tibet's lakes were shrinking and its glaciers melting.  (Note: 
As ConGenoffs travelled through the northern portions of the 
prefecture, which appeared in the dry season like a 
high-altitude desert, we passed by miles of fenced-in areas that 
may have been part of the grassland protection efforts.  More 
prominent, however, were the extensive, Sahara-like sand dunes 
and large herds of goats that appeared to be scavenging for 
every available blade of grass.  End Note.) 
 
 
 
Rising, Wealthier Population 
 
Contributing to Grassland Degradation? 
 
-------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) Tenzin said that officials were worried about the 
impact that the increasing population would have on the 
environment.  As of late 2006, the TAR government claimed the 
 
CHENGDU 00000311  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
prefecture had a population of about 330,000, up roughly 12,000 
people from its 2000 level, and roughly double the population of 
the prefecture in 1959.  (Note: Tenzin did not say how much the 
population would grow in the next 5-10 years, but another strain 
on the local environment may be the push for larger herds to 
generate income and feed an increasingly affluent population. 
The TAR government seeks to increase the per capita GDP in the 
prefecture to slightly more than 2,000 USD by the end of next 
year.  End Note.) 
 
 
 
Animal Husbandry Bureau Hits the Road to Improve Quality of Life 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------------- 
 
 
 
¶7. (U) Tenzin explained that his Bureau had over 130 staff, the 
majority of whom are experts that spend a substantial portion of 
their time travelling to the prefecture's 82 townships. 
Technical advice and encouraging farmers to use better varieties 
of seed and livestock is making life better, Tenzin claimed.  As 
an example of this, he mentioned that use of "winter wheat no. 
6" had boosted harvests.  Lhoka Prefecture will establish 
village veterinary stations throughout the Prefecture in 2010, 
Tenzin said.  A very large investment in housing for animals in 
the prefecture has been completed, and has reduced winter 
losses. 
 
 
 
TAR's Rural Banking System Expands 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) Tenzin also discussed how, with many more peasants and 
farmers now coming in closer contact with the cash economy, 
financial services including small loans were reaching every 
village through representatives of the China Agricultural Bank. 
Herders, whose traditional "bank accounts" were their herds, are 
now getting real bank accounts.  The TAR expects within several 
years to implement the Golden Benefit Card debit card scheme, 
under which 30 million Chinese peasants can get government 
subsidies deposited to their debit card, thereby bypassing local 
officials who sometimes try to siphon off subsidies to support 
their own schemes.  (Note: The China Economic Times on November 
18 discussed the Golden Benefit Card and its 30 million peasant 
cardholders at URL tinyurl.com/golden-benefit-card.  End Note.) 
BROWN