I’m sure many of us are familiar with the long distance that Tibetan antelope travel every year. Collectively, they make up wonderful scenery on this piece of free and unrestrained wilderness that is brimming with vitality. It is here that I came to understand why the earliest conservationists didn’t hesitate to sing the praises of this uninhabited wilderness; why Sonam Dargye, who brought with him the aspiration of standard mining management, spared no effort in anti-poaching and the conservation of nature, and even sacrificed his own life.
Love of nature and appreciation of beauty probably has something to do with genes. Conscience drives people to act when witnessing such spectacular beauty, in the hope that she can be preserved forever.
And this was the original intention of setting up the World Heritage List.
Despite working on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for a long time, before coming to Hoh Xil I didn’t dare to use the term “wilderness”. For thousands of years above the roof of the world the local Tibetan people chose a nomadic life as a means of co-existing with nature. The unique natural condition has created a sparse population distribution pattern and also a traditional culture whereby Tibetan herdsmen cherish nature and the environment. Herdsmen and their livestock are present across the vast majority of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and consumed the numerous natural resources efficiently and sustainably with knowledge passed down from generations.
Harmony between man and nature is a glorious wish. For wild animals, especially large animals, conflict with mankind is an unavoidable fact. Some wild animals can indeed coexist with humans, but for some animals only the wilderness of Hoh Xil can become their refuge.
As a guardian of Hoh Xil, I hope she will always retain her “original appearance”.
