Funding for Research on the Tibetan Plateau

This just came to my attention: the Trace Foundation is accepting proposals for research that will be conducted on the Tibetan Plateau. I think that's fantastic and wish there were lots of applicants. So this blog post, after a long gap, is to encourage people (Tibetans, Chinese and all others!) to consider doing field research in Tibet!

There are lots of pressing environment and development issues that should to be researched: mining, hydro-power development, nomad resettlement or even something as simple as the significance of yak dung (Did you know there are as many as 14 different kinds of animal dung used by Tibetan farmers?). Really, there is no limit to the scope of useful topics that you could research. What is needed is your ability and desire to collect accurate and in-depth information.

Here are three examples of pressing topics that I would like to see researched, and why:

1) Economic benefits of Tibetan nomadic way of life. Not an easy topic of research. Ideally an interdisciplinary team of researchers should undertake the work. This research could be useful to counter the discourse that their 'backward" lifestyle is sign of poverty and under-development, one of the main reasons why this lifestyle faces extinction by deliberate government policy today.

2) Ecosystem services of Tibetan headwaters. Again a big topic. Perhaps someone can focus on one ecosystem service of a specific river in Tibet. This kind of research is needed to educate people (and the government) about the different useful services provided by a free-flowing river.

3) A Citizens Guide to mining operations. I would like to see a Tibetan language guide for local leaders to organize and educate their communities and authorities about people's constitutional rights in the face of mining activities in their region. (Tesi Environmental Awareness Movement has translated the Citizens Guide to the World Commission on Dams into Tibetan. For some reason, it's currently not available for download. I will check into this and try to make it available here)