Nomads

Nomads

Tibet 3rd Pole - Nomads

Nomads

“Tibet’s nomads have lived sustainably on the plateau’s grasslands for millennia, but China has removed over 2 million on the false grounds of “enviro-protection”

Tibet’s nomads have lived sustainably the the plateau’s grasslands for millennia, in harmony with this globally significant ecosystem. The forced relocation and settlement of Tibetan nomads is one of the most severe and arguably most misguided aspects of Beijing’s grand plans for Tibet. In only a few years Chinese authorities have reportedly moved over two million Tibetans from their home on the grasslands to newly constructed settlements, profoundly altering Tibet’s social and environmental fabric.

Tibet’s nomads have lived sustainably the the plateau’s grasslands for millennia, in harmony with this globally significant ecosystem. 

The forced relocation and settlement of Tibetan nomads is one of the most severe and arguably most misguided aspects of Beijing’s grand plans for Tibet. In only a few years Chinese authorities have reportedly moved over two million Tibetans from their home on the grasslands to newly constructed settlements, profoundly altering Tibet’s social and environmental fabric.

The policy is as self-defeating as it is unjust. Stripped of the livelihoods that have sustained them for thousands of years, a once proud and resilient people now face an uncertain future. And while carried out on grounds of environmental protection, the controversial policy has further compromised the ecological balance of the Tibetan Plateau.

Read more about Tibet’s nomads in part 6 of Australia Tibet Council’s new report


  • “If I could go back to herding, I would. But the land has been taken by the state and the livestock has been sold off so we are stuck here. It’s hopeless.”
    Shang Lashi - former nomad from Kham

  • “Not only are the policies threatening one of the world’s last systems of sustainable pastoralism, but scientific evidence shows that these policies are threatening the survival of the rangelands and Tibet’s biodiversity.”
    -