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EcologicalImprovementandEnvironmentalProtectioninTibetForewordChina'sTibetAutonomousRegionissituatedonthemainbodyoftheQinghai-TibetPlateau.Withhighaltitude,uniquegeographicalfeaturesandrichwildlife,waterandmineralresources,ithasbeencalledtheRoofoftheWorldandtheThirdPoleoftheEarth.ItisnotonlythesourceofriversandtheecologicalsourcefortheareasinSouthandSoutheastAsia,butisalsothestarterandregulatingareaoftheclimateofChinaandindeedoftheEasternHemisphereasawhole.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'sGovernmentorganizedtheTibetWorkTeamoftheGovernmentAdministrationCouncil(onthebasisofwhichtheTibetComprehensiveExplorationTeamoftheChineseAcademyofScienceswasestablishedin1958),toexploreandassessland,forest,pastureland,waterconservancyandmineralresourcesinTibet.Theworkteamputforwardaproposalforscientificdevelopmentandutilization,whichstartedtheprocessofscientificunderstanding,utilizationandprotectionoftheecologicalenvironmentinTibet.Atthesametime,ecologicalimprovementandenvironmentalprotectionworkgraduallyunfolded,withtheaimofimprovingthesubsistenceconditionsontheTibetPlateau.TheStatesentforestryspecialiststoexplorepartsoftheYarlungzangboRiverValley,andcarriedoutexperimentsinthecultivationoftreesaplingsandafforestationattheJuly1FarminthewesternsuburbsofLhasa,whichlaidthefoundationforlarge-scaleafforestationandecologicalimprovementinTibet.AftertheimplementationoftheDemocraticReformin1959,amassvoluntarytree-plantingdriveusinglocaltreespeciesasthemainbreedswaslaunchedinabigwayinTibet.SuchafforestationeffortsenabledthepeopleinTibettoachieveaqualitativeleapfromthecenturies-oldpassiveadaptationtonaturalconditionstoremakingnatureontheirowninitiative.AfterthefoundingofthePeople'sGovernmentoftheTibetAutonomousRegioninSeptember1965,ecologicalimprovementandenvironmentalprotectionwereputongovernmentagendaandthusorganizationallyguaranteed,alongwiththeprogressofworkinallspheresachievedbythepeople'sdemocraticgovernment.In1975,theLeadingGroupforEnvironmentalProtectionoftheTibetAutonomousRegionanditsGeneralOfficewereestablished.In1983,theUrbanandRuralConstructionandEnvironmentalProtectionDepartmentunderthegovernmentoftheAutonomousRegionwasestablished.Sincethen,theorganizationalstructureandadministrativesystemshavekeptimproving,andecologicalimprovementandenvironmentalprotectionworkinTibethasgraduallygotontothetrackofsounddevelopment.ThecomprehensivescientificsurveysontheQinghai-TibetPlateauhavehelpedpeopletolearnaboutTibet'snaturaleco-environmentinamoresystematicand