Tibetan villagers relocate to live better lifestyle
Print Edition
Wearing red lambskin clothing and a fur hat, Rigzin cracked a herding whip to drive his sheep home. In front of his house, he took a photo with the livestock, for perhaps the last time on the prairie where he has lived for more than 40 years.
Due to an ecological relocation program in high-altitude areas of Tibet Autonomous Region, Rigzin, his wife Karma Detso and son have decided to leave their hometown in Rungma Township, Nagqu for Lhasa, the regional capital, to start a new life.
鈥淚鈥檝e been herding sheep and cattle for more than 40 years, and I thought my whole life would be just like this,鈥 said Rigzin, 49, who had often wondered if he could ever leave one of the most inhospitable places on Earth.
Every day, the family made four trips to carry water from a nearby river. In winter when the river was frozen, they had to trek further to collect water.
Rigzin rode his motorbike across the prairie to the township seat, around 30km away, to make a phone call or send a WeChat message.
Due to its remoteness, basic public services including education and medical care are not always accessible. The local primary school only offers education for students from Grade 1 to 3 and only four students from the township have been admitted to university over the past five years.
鈥淥ne of our colleagues once joked that this area is not suitable for humans and should be left to wild animals,鈥 said Jamyang Paljor, secretary of the township鈥檚 Party committee.
In April 2017, the regional government decided to launch an ecological relocation program in high-altitude areas. Rungma was the first on the list.
Relocation is not compulsory. There are a total of 1,102 residents in 262 households in Rungma. Among them 81 are registered low-income households.
More than 200 families like Rigzin鈥檚 initially refused the offer of relocation out of many concerns. Township officials went door to door to explain the favorable relocation policies, including new homes, better education for children, medical care for the elderly, and assured residents their livestock would be taken care of.
Rigzin swayed toward relocation after officials visited him the second time. After a family discussion, he placed his red fingerprint on the form to show agreement the next day.
Original owners
About 50km north of Rungma, workers have begun dismantling pasture fences that Dradul spent a fortune to build. The 600-hectare meadow he fenced in is in the core area of the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve, an important habitat for Tibetan antelopes.
Before Dradul relocated to Lhasa, he called the forestry police to help him dismantle the fences.
鈥淭he meadow used to belong to wild animals. Now we are leaving, and it鈥檚 time to return the land to its original owners,鈥 Dradul said.
Rungma is located in the state-level reserve. At an average altitude of more than 5,000 meters, the reserve covers 298,000 square km and is home to dozens of protected species.
Due to the relocation program, about 180,000 hectares of meadow will be left undisturbed by grazing activities. The local government will gradually dismantle all the fences.
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