Where Have All the Yaks Gone?

Richard Harris is an associate professor of the Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences at the University of Montana. He obtained his PhD in forestry at the University of Montana in 1993. He is the principal investigator of the National Science Foundation project “Determinants of Grassland Dynamics in Tibetan Highlands.” He consults on the studies of Przewalski’s gazelle in Qinghai with Beijing University. He is also investigating the response of Rocky Mountain goats to climate change. His publications include, “Determinants of Rangeland Dynamics on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China: Livestock, Wildlife and Pastoralism.”

Julia Klein is an assistant professor of the Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Watershed Stewardship at Colorado State University. She obtained her PhD in grassland management at University of California–Berkeley. She has been involved in environmental conservation efforts on the Tibetan plateau. Her research investigates interactions among climate, land use, and the structure and function of grassland, shrubland, and alpine ecosystems. She employs a suite of research tools, including experimental manipulations, space-for-time sampling, and ecosystem modeling. Her work considers multiple scales, from species-level investigations to landscape-scale processes. She works across disciplines to understand the complex dynamics of the coupled human-environment system in rangeland regions of the world.

Kabzung is a PhD candidate at the University of Colorado–Boulder. In collaboration with his studies, Kubzang has conducted extensive field research in association with The Bridge Fund, Jiu Zhai Gou Nature Reserve, the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, and the Chengdu Institute of Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research is focused on grasslands management, rural development, and poverty alleviation in Chengdu, Sichuan. He is currently earning his PhD in geography.