Faraway tale of pastoralist struggles spotlights China’s green growth complexities

The joke in Alasha League in China’s Inner Mongolia region is that people in Beijing only discovered their existence when local newspapers blew over to the capital city in a sandstorm. Such growing pollution in the 1990s nearly spelt the end of traditional animal herding in Alasha (also spelt Alxa), as China banned livestock and resettled herders to tame the deserts and restore grasslands. But community leaders lobbied for their camels – their beasts of burden since time immemorial – to be recognised as a “protected livestock breed”. And camel herding continues to this day. Success story? It’s not that simple to Dr Thomas White, a researcher who spent years living with the herders to understand what they’re going through. In his recently published book China’s Camel Country, he documented the tensions the herders faced to keep in line with China’s nation-building project. Taboos also emerged as culture courted capitalism to survive – think embellishments for tourism and butchering a treasured species to feed an upscale market. What does his account of Alasha tell of China’s bid to marry development with sustainability? What lessons do the herders have for communities worldwide, who may be bracing against both development pressures and large-scale conservation schemes at home? The Eco-Business podcast speaks with White, lecturer in China and sustainable development at King’s College London, to unpack the complexities he uncovered in China’s northwestern frontier. Tune in as we discuss: - What camel conservation in Alasha shows about China’s green growth ambitions - Whether camel herding resulted in net benefits for the environment - The herders’ “partial success” in preserving their culture amid political and environmental change - What insights Alasha’s herders hold for other local communities facing pressures from development and sustainability initiatives

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