WWF has been working together with local herders, village leaders and reserve managers on developing conservation strategies and measures to tackle the conflict, which includes: competition between wildlife and livestock for grazing; livestock predation by wildlife; and the harassing of female yaks and attacks on herders by male wild yaks.

"Addressing this conflict stands at the core of building harmony between the nomads and wildlife," said Dawa Tsering, Manager of the WWF China Tibet Programme Office.

In addition to the greenhouse, which grows spinach, cabbage and carrots, WWF has provided seed funding of 25,000RMB (US$3,000) to establish a fund in Tsonyi County in Changtang to compensate victims of human-wildlife conflict. In addition, WWF and the local Tsonyi government have formed a Compensation Fund Management Committee, consisting of representatives of local herders, the Forestry Bureau and local government officials. The committee is responsible for supervising the operation of the Fund, and reviewing applications annually based on criteria developed by WWF and local communities.

Since its inception in August 2005, over 80 applications from local nomads have been received and are currently being reviewed with compensation to be allotted at the beginning of December 2005.

Changtang is home to many wild animals that once roamed widely across Tibet, including wild yak, kiang (the Tibetan wild ass), Tibetan brown bear, Tibetan argali sheep, Tibetan gazelle and the largest of Tibet’s four populations of chiru (Tibetan antelope).