On the Concept and Practice of Plant Resource Utilization by Tibetan People in Northwestern Yunnan Province

The practice of plant resource utilization by Tibetan people in Northwestern Yunnan Province, China, including traditional organic agriculture fenced by woody hedge, shifting stockbreeding, pasture management, collection of plant material, and community-based nature reserves were summarized in this paper.It was induced that the concept of plant resource utilization by Tibetan people in this region was to make full use of the plant resources within the village centered area from farmland, pasture grasslands and hilly forests in a multiple way by multi-levels for multi purposes.Under the guidance of the traditional belief of sacred hills, i.e., the integration of Tibetan primary religion and Buddhism, more benefits might be obtained by livestock pasturing, and the living demands of local people might be met in a sustainable way.