Implementation of Resettlement Programmes Amongst Pastoralist Communities in Eastern Tibet

Abstract

In the context of a major policy initiative by the Chinese state to better ­integrate western areas with the rest of the country, the government is implementing numerous programmes that affect the pastoral communities of the Tibetan Plateau. Resettlement of pastoralists away from their traditional grazing lands is the most significant intervention into their way of life. According to the design of resettlement programmes, small village settlements are viewed as ideal for establishing new lifestyles for Tibetan pastoralists who should afford increased comfort and income possibilities through better connections to infrastructure. The research results from my case study area of Zeku County, Qinghai Province, demonstrate that implementation of resettlement away from grasslands often does not reflect official planning, and that there has been a general lack of consultation with Tibetan pastoralists throughout the entire process. Due to insufficient state support for pastoralists to obtain alternative skills and livelihoods, the many resettlement villages now appearing across the eastern Tibetan plateau remain populated by unemployed pastoralists facing an uncertain future.