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Great
Canyon of Yarlung Zangbo Nature Reserve |
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Until
1980, Dabo, located on the bank of the
yarlung Zangbo River, was a vast primeval
forest. Now Dabo comprises barren slopes.
Slash-and-burn farming and tree felling
have taken their toll on the region,
making the slopes look as ugly as festering
warts. The Monba ethnic minority people
have been using the ancient farming
techniques for centures. But at present,
the Monba population is rapidly increasing.
If they continue to use their ancient
techniques, how long can the lush Grand
Canyon survive?
In essence, the ecological environment
of the entire Grand Canyon is extremely
fragile. The canyons is located at the
juncture of several great mountain ranges
(the Himalayan, the Nyainqentanglha,
and the Hengduan mountains) centered
on Mount Namjarbarwa and several crustal
plates (the Indian Ocean plate, the
Eurasian plate, and the Pacific Ocean
plate). Active crustal movements affect
the area by causing earthquakes and
high-temperature terrestrial heat. The
canyon, by cutting off the Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau and the Himalayas, enables warm,
humid air currents to flow in from the
Indian Ocean to the depth of the plateau
along the canyon. It is the largest
passage for humid air to reach the Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau. The combination of water and
heat movements with the crustal geological
environment makes the canyon's ecological
system very fragile. Therefore, a slight
change cause by either an earthquake,
rainstorm, sudden temperature change,
or human damage, could cause natural
calamities such as mud slides, avalanches,
and landslides.
On August 15,1950, an earthquake of
8.5 on the Richter scale in Medog greatly
changed the landscape. Construction
of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway and damages
caused by human activities have resulted
in the formation of the well-known "Tangmai
Barrier." In June and July 1969,
a great landslide occurred in Lhayoi
in Dongjug District. A section of several
kilometers of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway
was damaged and many people were killed.
In July and August of 1983, an extra-large
glacier mud slide occurred at Pelung
Zhi Gully in Parlung Zangbo. In a moment,
a 30-meter-long reinforced concrete
bridge on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway
was destroyed, and the road maintenance
house, a bulldozer, a tractor for road
maintenance, and 87 trucks were buried
by the mud slide. The mud and rocks
blocked the Parlung Zangbo and formed
an 8-kilometer lake that still exists
today. In April 1996, a great avalanche
occurred in the Ra'og-Bome section of
the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. A snowball
300 meters in diameter rolled down the
mountain, burying all the passing trucks
and more than 500 people. Fifty-six
people died instantly. These calamities
show that intensifying damages caused
by human activities could lead to more
serious disasters. Therefore, protection
of ecological environment and biodiversity
must be made a priority. Human beings
should get along with the grand canyon
in harmony and seek common prosperity.
Strictly Protecting the Central Area
and Building a National Park in the
Periphery Crossing a mountain ridge
from Dabo, one arrives at the lower
reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo Grand
Canyon in Medog County. In 1973, for
the first time, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Comprehensive Scientific Investigation
Team of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
sent a team to the Grand Canyon. The
explorers discovered that the area had
extremely rich biological and hydraulic
resources. From that time on, the Grand
Canyon has aroused that attention of
Chinese scientists.
In 1986, to protect the precious biodiversity
resources in the area, at the suggestion
of specialists from the Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Tibet established the National
Medog Nature Reserve. Meanwhile, the
Standing Committee of the People's Congress
and the People's Government of Tibet
Autonomous Region promulgated a series
of laws and administrative statues regarding
protection of the environment and natural
resources, such as "Regulations
of Tibet Autonomous Region Concerning
Forest Protection," "Interim
Provisions of Tibet Autonomous Region
Concerning the Administration of Grassland,"
and "The Notice of the People's
Government of Tibet Autonomous Region
Concerning the Protection of Aquatic
Resources." There are also more
than 20 statutes concerning the protection
of wild animals.
In the past few years, the protection
of biodiversity in the Himalayan area
has attracted the attention of international
conservationist organization. In 1998,
the WWF convened a symposium in Lhasa
on the protection of Tibet's biodiversity,
and the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon
was listed as the most important area
for biodiversity protection on the Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau. In the past, the Grand Canyon's
unique ecosystem was not given overall
protection; only several limited areas
within Medog County were placed under
protection. Now the most important task
is to expand the Medog Nature Reserve
as soon as possible, so that the entire
ecosystem in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand
Canyon can be protected. After the expansion,
the name should be changed to the Yarlung
Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature
Reserve.
Experts suggest that the local government
should help local inhabitants rationally
utilize resources, get rid of poverty,
and participate in the protection of
the nature reserve. Locals should take
advantage of the Grand Canyon to boost
tourism. A developing tourism industry
brings along developed markets for handicrafts
and local art, improved transportation
facilities, and improved communications
technology-all things that will help
locals free themselves from the self-contained
economy and primitive means of production.
To develop the tourism industry, experts
believe that after the central area
is placed under strict protection, the
Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National
Park should be opened in the periphery.
Tourists can view the Grand Canyon from
mountain passes and have a panoramic
view of the canyon. Once established
as a national park, the Grand Canyon
will become Tibet's most fascinating
world-class tourist destination, and
thus expedite the development of tourism
in southwestern Tibet.
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