Tradition, Habitat and Well-Being

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Zhi-nong Li ◽  
Shu-qing He
Keyword(s):  
Natural Environment ◽  
Good Life ◽  
Traditional Culture ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Relativism ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Jinsha River ◽  
Polygamous Marriage ◽  
River Region ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Abstract The Tibetans who live among the valleys and mountains of the Jinsha River region, on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, still retain a considerable number of polygamous marriages. Through fieldwork in a Tibetan village, the authors discovered that polygamous marriage is a rational choice compatible with Tibetans’ traditional culture and natural environment, which can improve family well-being and lead to a good life. Our findings provide new fieldwork materials to support theories of cultural relativism advocated by the Boas school, which emphasises that the environment greatly affects culture, and Malinowski’s functionalism, which stresses that culture has been created to satisfy people’s practical needs.

scholarly journals Research on the Influence of Energy Utilization and Economic Development on Human Well-Being in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Mengmeng Meng ◽  
Weiguo Fan ◽  
Jianchang Lu ◽  
Xiaobin Dong ◽  
Hejie Wei
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Resource Acquisition ◽  
Energy Utilization ◽  
Western China ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Generalized Matrix ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau ◽  
Means Of Production

Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a typical resource-rich but economically backward region in western China, and it is of great urgency to improve human well-being. Combined with previous scholars’ research and the characteristics of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, this paper constructs an index system of human well-being including four dimensions: income and consumption, means of production, means of subsistence, and resource acquisition ability. Then, it uses generalized matrix method estimations to measure the influence of energy utilization and economic development on human well-being and makes a regression analysis on the influence of energy utilization and economic development on human well-being in various provinces in this region. It is found that per capita GDP and coke utilization promote the well-being of all dimensions, while the urban registered unemployment rate only promotes the well-being of means of subsistence. The utilization of gasoline and natural gas promotes income and consumption and inhibits the means of subsistence and resource acquisition ability, but they have opposite effects on means of production. The impacts of energy utilization and economic development in different provinces on human well-being are different. This study is of great significance to the related research aiming at improving people’s livelihood and promoting regional development.

scholarly journals Crustal and Upper Mantle Density Structure Beneath the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Its Surrounding Areas Derived from EGM2008 Geoid Anomalies

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Honglei Li ◽  
Jian Fang
Keyword(s):  
Upper Mantle ◽  
Initial Density ◽  
Density Model ◽  
Indian Plate ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Jinsha River ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
Geoid Anomalies ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

As the most active plateau on the Earth, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has a complex crust-mantle structure. Knowledge of the distribution of such a structure provides information for understanding the underlying geodynamic processes. We obtains a three-dimensional density model of crustal and upper mantle beneath Qinghai-Tibet plateau and its surrounding areas from the residual geoid anomalies using the Earth Gravitational Model (EGM) 2008. We estimate a refined density model by iterations, using an initial density contrast model. We confirm that the EGM2008 mission products can be used to constrain the crust-mantle density structures. Our major findings are: (1). At 300-400 km depth, high-D anomalies terminate around Jinsha River Suture (JRS) in the central TP, suggesting that the Indian plate has been reached over the Bangong Nujiang Suture (BNS) and almost reach to the JRS. (2). On the eastern TP, low-D anomalies at the depth of 0-300 km together with high-D anomalies at 400-670 km further verified the current eastward subduction of Indian plate. The ongoing subduction provides forces to the occurrences of frequent earthquakes and volcano. (3). At 600 km depth, low-D anomalies inside the TP illustrate the existence of hot weak material beneath there, contributing to the external material inward-thrusting.

scholarly journals Thoughts on Green Highway Construction in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 233 ◽  
pp. 01122
Author(s):  
Liyan Ge ◽  
Zhiqiang Feng ◽  
Haibo Yao ◽  
Siwei Liu
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Highway Construction ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Ecological Environment ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

On the basis of combining the unique characteristics of the natural environment and the fragile and sensitive ecological environment in the high-cold and high-altitude areas, the difficulties and challenges in the construction of green roads in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are analyzed, and the construction of green roads in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau should have its own unique characteristics. Relevant technologies and eco-environmental protection measures for green road construction in high-cold and high-altitude areas, and specific suggestions for green road construction on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, aim to provide certain ideas for the construction of green roads on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for reference.

scholarly journals Assessing Suitability of Human Settlements in High-Altitude Area Using a Comprehensive Index Method: A Case Study of Tibet, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1485
Author(s):  
Yanpeng Ding ◽  
Bin Shi ◽  
Guijin Su ◽  
Qianqian Li ◽  
Jing Meng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Distribution Pattern ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Driving Factor ◽  
Human Settlement ◽  
Human Settlements

With the steady advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), how to build a sustainable environment for human settlements has become a hot topic of research for scholars from various countries. Rational space utilization and resource allocation are the keys to enhancing human well-being and achieving sustainable human settlements. A comprehensive human settlement environment evaluation system, which includes 14 indicators from the natural environment, infrastructure, and public services, was established in this study. The results showed that the habitat suitability area only accounted for 1.61% (2.05% after removing the nature reserve) and all centered on cities and radiated to the surrounding areas. A belt-like suitability distribution pattern of “Yi Jiang Liang He” (i.e., Brahmaputra, Lhasa, and Nianchu Rivers) is formed, and a point-like suitability distribution pattern of the Chamdo Karub District, Nagqu Seni District, and Ngari Shiquanhe Town are formed. The results of the driving factor analysis indicate that the level of public health development in infrastructure and various indicators in public services are the main factors influencing human settlement. There is not much difference in the natural environment in the populated regions, so the suitability of the natural environment is not a significant driving factor. In addition, the reliability of the assessment results was verified by a questionnaire survey of residents in the three regions, and the subjective satisfaction of the residents agreed with the ranking results of the objective evaluation. The evaluation results of this study provide theoretical and directional guidance for the improvement of human settlements on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. It will be a useful tool for evaluating human settlements in the region and has a reference significance for the formulation of macro-policy in high-altitude regions.

scholarly journals Multiple Effects of Topographic Factors on Spatio-Temporal Variations of Vegetation Patterns in the Three Parallel Rivers Region, Southeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Chunya Wang ◽  
Jinniu Wang ◽  
Niyati Naudiyal ◽  
Ning Wu ◽  
Xia Cui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Vegetation Patterns ◽  
Jinsha River ◽  
Topographic Factors ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Topographic factors are critical for influencing vegetation distribution patterns, and studying the interactions between them can enhance our understanding of future vegetation dynamics. We used the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (MODIS NDVI) image dataset (2000–2019), combined with the Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and vegetation type data for trend analysis, and explored NDVI variation and its relationship with topographic factors through an integrated geographically-weighted model in the Three Parallel Rivers Region (TPRR) of southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) in the past 20 years. Our results indicated that there was no significant increase of NDVI in the entire basin between 2000–2019, except for the Lancang River basin. In the year 2004, abrupt changes in NDVI were observed across the entire basin and each sub-basin. During 2000–2019, the mean NDVI value of the whole basin increased initially and then decreased with the increasing elevation. However, it changed marginally with variations in slope and aspect. We observed a distinct spatial heterogeneity in vegetation patterns with elevation, with higher NDVI in the southern regions NDVI than those in the north as a whole. Most of the vegetation cover was concentrated in the slope range of 8~35°, with no significant difference in distribution except flat land. Furthermore, from 2000 to 2019, the vegetation cover in the TPRR showed an improving trend with the changes of various topographic factors, with the largest improvement area (36.10%) in the slightly improved category. The improved region was mainly distributed in the source area of the Jinsha River basin and the southern part of the whole basin. Geographically weighted regression (GWR) analysis showed that elevation was negatively correlated with NDVI trends in most areas, especially in the middle reaches of Nujiang River basin and Jinsha River basin, where the influence of slope and aspect on NDVI change was considerably much smaller than elevation. Our results confirmed the importance of topographic factors on vegetation growth processes and have implications for understanding the sustainable development of mountain ecosystems.

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