Hybrid rangeland governance: Connecting policies with practices in pastoral China

Abstract

The issue of rangeland governance and tenure in pastoral China has sparked significant controversy and discussion. Several models have been suggested, encompassing private, state and common property systems. However, what does the practical implementation of rangeland governance entail? A review of the history of rangeland governance and policy in Amdo, Tibet tells how land governance is constructed by pastoralists adapting existing norms, formulating rules in various contexts, and negotiating with various groups such as the monastery, religious organisations, and governmental authorities. The governance of rangeland in Amdo, Tibet is characterised by constant negotiations and contestations, including resistance from below, and is shaped by various processes in the real-world context. Through the notion of assemblage, which involves bringing together an array of agents and objectives to intervene in social processes to produce desired outcomes and avert undesired ones, this paper adds to the existing body of research on land governance by examining how institutions are formed in the case of a hydroelectric dam on the land of the pastoralists. Consequently, the question arises: What does this mean for policy and practice for the rangelands of China? If hybrid rangeland governance is to be considered the prevailing practice, then what implications would this have for the framing of policies and their implementation?