Publisher's Synopsis
This book is about preserving and improving the livelihood of pastoral communities in northern and north western China. It analyses the constraints to further sustainable development in the pastoral areas of China. The focus is on sheep and wool; on people who raise the sheep, especially minority nationalities; and on degradation of the rangelands on which the animals and ultimately the herdsmen and their families depend. This book, based on extensive fieldwork spanning four and a half years, is unique in that it presents a comprehensive picture of a remote but fascinating and increasingly important part of the world. Scholars and policy makers specialising in China will find this volume deals with many aspects of the country not previously discussed in the literature. But this book will also be of interest to a much wider audience. For example, the detailed treatment of the Chinese sheep and wool industry will be of great value to people interested in the international market for wool and wool textiles. Since 1993 was the UN Year of the Indigenous People, the attention given to minorities living in the pastoral region of China is most timely. Ecological damage to natural grasslands is one of the most serious but least well documented environmental issues facing humankind. This book provides first-hand observations on the nature and extent of the problem of northern and north west China. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the authors demonstrate that sustainable development requires more than just technology. Unless necessary policy-determined institutional structures and incentives are in place, the provision of technical assistance, in the form of foreign aid for instance, may actually make matters worse.
