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A Geographic Analysis of the Vulnerabilities and Coping Strategies of Tibetan Herders in Gansu, China

Lu, Luci Xi
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2943-4032
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1470311477

Abstract Details

2016, Master of Arts, Miami University, Geography.
A dominant narrative of rangeland degradation in western China is that degradation is caused by overstocking and poor land use practices. Consequently, the state has designed and implemented a series of grassland policies (e.g., privatizing common grazing land, depopulating livestock, and relocating herders) in pastoral regions of China. Although the government sees communal rangeland management as inefficient and unsustainable, collective rangeland management persists. Using Machu County in Gansu Province as a case study, I examined the differences between de jure and de facto land tenure on eastern Tibetan Plateau. This study employed semi-structured interviews and extensive participant observation with 43 Amdo Tibetan herders in Machu County, Gansu province, Western China. I also triangulated the first-hand empirical data with the secondary data I obtained from Bureau of Poverty Alleviation and Bureau of Animal Husbandry in Machu. Research findings show that instead of herding individually and maximizing the economic benefit, the majority of herders are pooling resources communally in kin-based encampments in order to avoid risks. Because of the spatio-temporal variation of precipitation, certain encampments perceive themselves more vulnerable to water shortage and topography-related hazards. Renting pastures and seeking alternative livelihoods then become the key strategies for herders to restore mobility and flexibility.
Stanley Toops (Advisor)
Kimberly Medley (Committee Member)
Roxanne Ornelas (Committee Member)
60 p.
Geography
pastoralism; vulnerability; coping strategies; pastoral livelihoods; land tenure; Amdo

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Lu, L. X. (2016). A Geographic Analysis of the Vulnerabilities and Coping Strategies of Tibetan Herders in Gansu, China [Master's thesis, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1470311477

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Lu, Luci. A Geographic Analysis of the Vulnerabilities and Coping Strategies of Tibetan Herders in Gansu, China. 2016. Miami University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1470311477.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Lu, Luci. "A Geographic Analysis of the Vulnerabilities and Coping Strategies of Tibetan Herders in Gansu, China." Master's thesis, Miami University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1470311477

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

miami1470311477
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© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Miami University and OhioLINK.