EcologicalImprovementandEnvironmentalProtectioninTibetForewordChina'sTibetAutonomousRegionissituatedonthemainbodyoftheQinghai-TibetPlateau.Withhighaltitude,uniquegeographicalfeaturesandrichwildlife,waterandmineralresources,ithasbeencalledthe"RoofoftheWorld"andthe"ThirdPoleoftheEarth."Itisnotonlythe"sourceofrivers"andthe"ecologicalsource"fortheareasinSouthandSoutheastAsia,butisalsothe"starter"and"regulatingarea"oftheclimateofChinaandindeedoftheEasternHemisphereasawhole.TheChinesegovernmentattachesgreatimportancetoecologicalimprovementandenvironmentalprotectioninTibet.IthasmadetremendouseffortstostrengthenecologicalimprovementandenvironmentalprotectionworkinTibet,promotethesustainabledevelopmentofitseconomyandsociety,andimprovethequalityoflifeofthepeopleofitsvariousethnicgroups.Foroverhalfacentury,ecologicalimprovementandenvironmentalprotectioninTibet,asanimportantpartoftheefforttomodernizeTibet,has,togetherwitheconomicdevelopment,socialprogressandenhancementofpeople'slivingstandards,pressedforwardandmadegreatachievements.Itwouldhelpclarifysomepeople'smisunderstandingconcerningTibet'seco-environmentalproblemandenhancetheirunderstandingofTibettoreviewtheprogressoftheecologicalimprovementandenvironmentalprotectionworkinTibet,topresentthestatusofthisundertaking,andtoenvisagetheprospectsofsustainabledevelopmentfortheregion.I.ProgressoftheEcologicalImprovementandEnvironmentalProtectionWorkinTibetTheTibetAutonomousRegionis1.22millionsq.kminarea,withanaveragealtitudeofwellover4,000mabovesealevel.Itboastsauniquenaturalecologyandgeographicalenvironment.TheclimateinTibetturnsgraduallyfrombeingwarmandmoisttocoldanddryfromitssoutheasttowarditsnorthwest.Ecologically,thechangesaremanifestedinbeltsfromforest,bush,meadowandsteppetodesert.Thecomplexandvariedterrainsandlandformsaswellastheuniquetypeofecologicalsystemhavecreatedanaturalparadiseforbiodiversity.TheoldTibetbeforethe1950shadlongbeenundertheruleoffeudalserfdom.Thedevelopmentlevelofitsproductiveforceswasextremelylow,anditwas,byandlarge,inastateofpassiveadaptationtonaturalconditionsandone-wayexploitationofnaturalresources.ItwasabsolutelyimpossibletodiscusstheobjectivelawoftheecologicalenvironmentofTibet,ortotalkaboutecologicalimprovementandenvironmentalprotection.Fromthelatterhalfofthe19thcentury,someforeignexplorersandscientistsconductedvarioussurveysandinvestigationsontheQinghai-TibetPlateau.Inthe1930s,Chinesescientistsalsocarriedoutsomesurveysandinvestigationsthere.But,generallyspeaking,theirknowledgeoftheuniquenaturaleco-environmentoftheQinghai-TibetPlateauwasincompleteandunsystematic.ItwasafterthepeacefulliberationofTibetthatecologicalimprovementandenvironmentalprotectionstartedthere,andbegantoprogressalongwiththemodernizationofTibet.--Thepeacefulliberationinitiatedtheprocessofscientificunderstanding,voluntaryprotectionandactiveimprovementoftheecologicalenvironmentinTibet.ShortlyafterthepeacefulliberationofTibetin1951,inordertounveilthemysteriesoftheQinghai-TibetPlateauandpromoteTibet'ssocialprogressanddevelopment,theCentralPeople'sGovernmentorganizedthe"TibetWorkTeamoftheGovernmentAdministrationCouncil"(onthebasisofwhichthe"TibetComprehensiveExplorationTeamoftheChineseAcademyofSciences"wasestablishedin1958),toexploreandassessland,forest,pastureland,waterconservancyandmineralresourcesinTibet.Theworkteamputforwardaproposalfors...
