IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Jackson, R. | |
| Managing people-wildlife conflict in Tibet's Qomolangma National Nature Preserve | |
| 2001 Conference Proceeding | |
Since the Qomolangma (Mount Everest) National Nature Preserve was established in 1989, crop and livestock damage due to wildlife has become a major management issue, especially within or near the 7 core zones of the preserve. Over 20'000 people live along the interface with the core zones, depending heavily upon forest and rangeland resources. A survey of 1 core zone indicated 5-22% of maize, barley, and wheat production is lost to wildlife. This loss is valued at US$53/household in an area with an annual per-caipta household income of US$100 or less. As much as 9.5% of the livestock herd may be taken by predators such as the endangered snow leopard (_Uncia uncia_), lynx (_Lynx lynx_), and wolf (_Canis lupus_), resulting in significant animosity toward these species. Many causative factors are implicate in such losses, not the least of which is a widespread erosion of traditional guarding practices and undue reliance on relatively infective deterrents. Worst-case scenarios involve "surplus-killing" which occurs when a predator enters and kills as many as 100 goats or sheep. Such loss can be avoided entirely with well-constructed and maintained corrals. New techniques for involving local residents were used in several communities to protect key wildlife species. Small-scale community development investment were linked to biodiversity conservation commitments from the local people, using signed contracts as legal instruments, with co-financing provided by local government, the preserve authority , and foreign donors. Villagers contributed their labor and assumed responsibility for implementing mutually agreed-upon crop and livestock protection measures that are ecologically and socially responsible and which meet protected area guidelines. In 1 area, crop production doubled in 2 years following fencing; villagers used time saved from guarding to improve their handicraft and income-generation, significantly increase winter livestock forage production, and build a school. Attitude toward conserving wildlife improve substantially, but these were hard to quantify. |
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