Humans as Agents of Change in Arid Lands: With Special Reference to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, (China)

Abstract

This chapter is an overview of natural and human-made change processes and the ways in which they affect the structure and function of arid lands with special reference to conditions on the vast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau—a cold and arid region that is sometimes called the “roof of the world.” We begin with a discussion about the nature of change and provide an introduction to some of the theoretical underpinnings to the current thinking about how change occurs.

The role of traditional ecological knowledge and shared systems of beliefs in building long-term social–ecological resilience to environmental extremes has been the focus of investigations in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Data were collected from seven villages of the “Three Rivers” region, through interviews, focus groups, and systematic reviews of historical archives. First, we assess adaptive practices to cope with environmental change. Then, we use historical records to trace collective responses to environmental extremes. Our results (1) show how environmental extremes could induce social and economic crises through declines in ecosystem services and (2) identify practices to cope with recurrent disturbance and institutional devices developed in response to environmental extremes. We conclude that traditional ecological knowledge and shared systems of beliefs can facilitate collective responses to crises and contribute to the maintenance of long-term resilience of social–ecological systems.