Hoh Xil Nature Reserve

Last Updated
2024-02-16
Name of the Protected Area / Park / Reserve
Hoh Xil Nature Reserve
Country
China
UNESCO Classified
Yes
UNESCO Classification Information

HXNR was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.[1]
 

Carbon Offsetting Project
No
Carbon Offsetting Project Information

No, the nature reserve is not under any carbon offsetting projects.

IUCN category of the Area /Park / Reserve
Strict Nature Reserve
Name(s) of the Impacted Indigenous People(s) / Community / Villages
Tibetan Pastoralists
Name(s) of the Support Groups/NGOs and Contact Details
Information about Involved Institutions
  1. Technology innovations enhance wildlife conservation and developing wildlife.[1]
  2. Wildlife Conservation Society: The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) actively engages in conservation efforts within the Qinghai Kekexili National Nature Reserve, focusing particularly on the protection of wild yaks (Bos mutus) and their habitats by addressing the issues of habitat degradation, human-wildlife conflict, and the impacts of climate change. WCS partners with Chinese government agencies in policy-making with scientific data, provides training to local rangers, and assists in habitat monitoring.[2]
  3. WWF has supported conservation efforts in the region by promoting scientific research and raising awareness about the ecological significance of Hoh Xil. For instance, WWF has highlighted the importance of protecting species like the Tibetan antelope and the wild yak, which inhabit the reserve.[3]
     
Administrative Authority of the Protect Area / Park / Reserve and Contact Details

Karma Tseden, office director of the nature reserve management bureau and local authorities.[1]
 

National Conservation / Environment Agency or Ministry in Charge of the Protect Area / Park / Reserve

Chinese government authorities and local authorities.[1]

  1. Central level, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China(國務院生態環境部)
  2. The People’s Government of Qingai Province is responsible for organizing, coordinating, and supervising the protection of the Hoh Xil Natural Reserve.
  3. Qinghai Kekexili National Nature Reserve Management Bureau
Donor's Information

GAC Motor is China’s leading automobile manufacturer, they have donated 20 GSB SUV’s to the authorities of the reserve and have conducted a series of field work by volunteers joined by media representatives.[1]

 

  1. Green River Environmental Protection Association
    Founded in 1995 by environmentalist Yang Xin, the association is dedicated to promoting ecological protection of the Yangtze River headwaters and the Hoh Xil region. Through charity sales and fundraising, it has supported the establishment of the Sonam Dargye Conservation Station in Hoh Xil, which has become a key base for anti-poaching and ecological preservation efforts.[2] 

 

  1. China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF)
    CBCGDF launched the public welfare project “Pride of Hoh Xil – Tibetan Antelope,” aiming to protect endangered species like the Tibetan antelope. It mobilizes public donations to support ecological conservation in the Hoh Xil region. CBCGDF has close tie with the CCP, it was established by then Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Lü Zhengcao, Qian Changzhao, Bao Erhan and other people.[3]

 

  1. New Oriental Public Welfare Foundation
    In May 2024, New Oriental signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Sanjiangyuan Ecological Protection Foundation in Yushu, donating 1 million RMB to support ecological conservation efforts in Sanjiangyuan and Hoh Xil.[4]

 

  1. EcoFlow (Huabao New Energy)
    In 2023, EcoFlow partnered with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to donate outdoor power supply products to the Hoh Xil Ecological Protection Association. These products are used for monitoring and protecting endangered wildlife, enhancing the region’s application of green energy.[5]
     
Historical Background

The HXNR was classified as a provincial-level nature reserve in 1996, and in 2017 the nature reserve was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[1] The reserve encompasses approximately a 60,000 km² area and is known as the Earth’s “third pole” because it includes the largest reserves of fresh water outside the Arctic and Antarctic. Since time immemorial, Tibetan pastoralists have coexisted with the wildlife in the HXNR. These pastoralists have played an integral role in protecting the nature reserve’s wildlife, including Tibetan antelopes, snow leopards, bears, and yaks.[2]

Short description of the alleged violations

On November 27, 2017, the Chinese state media released a notification that access to the reserve would be limited to only security personnel and other authorized officials. The practices of Tibetan pastoralism and the gathering of medicinal herbs are now prohibited in the reserve. As a result, Tibetan Indigenous Peoples and their livelihoods are impacted and their rights to food, health, culture are negatively affected as a result of the state's eviction.[1] Tibetan pastoralists were not provided consultation or FPIC on the ban or the designation of the reserve, nor were they given the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process. Furthermore, the government has not provided the Indigenous Peoples with any adequate compensation or other remedies following their eviction.[2]

Subsequent report of 2022 by the International Campaign for Tibet has reaffirmed that the government continues to prohibit these traditional activities in the name of ecological protection, enforcing the ban through surveillance and policing. This exclusionary conservation approach has deepened the marginalization of Tibetan communities and reinforces concerns about the misuse of environmental governance to further state control.[3]

Categories of Human Rights Violations
Right to self-determination
Rights to land, territory and natural resources including access to means of subsistence, adequate food and adequate housing
Right to Consultation and Free and Prior Informed Consent
Social rights-including access to public services
Civil Rights
Political Rights
Cultural Rights
Before Violations Overlapping Extractive Activities or Industries in the Protected Area / Park / Reserve

A dam is being created near the reserve’s Zhuonai Lake a major breeding area for the once endangered Tibetan antelopes.[1]