TAKE ACTION

For millions of years, Tibetan nomads have lived sustainably on the land and are the guardians of Tibet’s fragile environment. At least 2.25 million – a third of Tibetans – live nomadic or semi-nomadic life, a way of life that is an intrinsic part of Tibetan society.

Beijing is using climate change as an excuse to forcibly settle Tibetan nomads, blaming them for damaging the Tibetan grasslands through overgrazing. But scientists have shown nomad’s traditional grazing patterns actually help mitigate the impacts of climate change on the Tibetan plateau. Over 1.4 million nomads have already been relocated into reservation-style concrete housing blocks. These homes are bleak and isolated housing settlements where Tibetans are forced to give up keep their animals and their traditional way of life.

Tibetan nomads are fighting back and they need our help!

TAKE ACTION TODAY:

1. Urgently write to demand China stop forcing Tibetan nomads off their land
2. Order your nomad postcards today
3. Learn more on nomad rights
4. Teach it! Hold an awareness raising event in your local area. For materials and information, contact: pema@studentsforafreetibet.org

The United Nations Human Rights Council has spoken out against China’s forced resettlement policies. Yet, China continues to remove nomads off their land. The world has witnessed the negative effects of forcing people off their ancestral land, and we have said NO MORE.

SOUND THE ALARM! 2015 is China’s deadline to end the traditional Tibetan nomadic way of life forever. Global public and political pressure can stop China from destroying this unique and ancient culture that is at the heart of the Tibetan identity. As people of conscience, we can expose China’s lies.

Dalai Lama Speaks Out

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama spoke out against China's forced nomad resettlement at the Kalachakra teachings in Bodh Gaya in early 2012. In a rare audience with Tibetans from Tibet, the Dalai Lama urged China's leaders to “instead of forcefully resettling them, building of hospitals and schools for the nomads around their grazing areas would be more constructive.”

The Dalai Lama, who has been living in exile since he was forced to flee his country in 1959, also urged Tibetans to plant trees around their houses and monasteries in Tibet.

Tibetan nomads’ very way of life is inherently connected to the land. Aimed at tightening its colonial grip over Tibet, China’s resettlement policies are a death sentence for Tibetan nomads and their traditional way of life that has been maintained, sustainably, for centuries.