*By Jamyang Dolma
Humans emerged
as the most dominant species in the world, influencing both the survival and
extinction of many species.
Modern civilization with development in many
aspects has made people more educated, civilized and ironically more ruthless.
We hunt wild animal for their skins, organs, and worst kill them for being
pest.
Unfortunately,
pika (abra in tibetan ) , small and furry wild animal, scurrying on the Tibetan
plateau was the target of a large scale eradication since 1962, as pikas were
considered pest causing immense damage to the local ecosystem.
Extensive research
on the role of pika on the rangeland of the Tibetan plateau has given rise to
two contradictory result: while some
consider them as a keystone species of Tibet's rangeland, others blame them as
a factor for declining alpine meadow condition. Finding the actual role of pika
on Tibet's rangeland might be too late and the species could soon be in the
threatened red list of the international union for conservation of nature
(IUCN).
Human footprint
is the main cause of Tibetan plateau degrading rangeland. As George Schaller
stated in his book, Tibet wild, "pika are not the cause of degraded
grassland but the indicator of the overgrazed and degraded land".
Mass poisoning
of pika began in 1962 as a pest competing with livestock for forage and causing
soil erosion but grassland degradation still occurring, so who should be blamed
next?
As Andrew Smith
and J. Marc Foggin (1999) wrote in their paper, Instead of spending huge
resources on killing them, pika should be considered as an alternative method
to save Tibet's rangelands. Pikas are considered keystone species with immense
benefit to the rangeland ecosystem in Tibet.
Such as:
·
Pika burrow are used by different type of birds
as breeding ground
·
Pika faeces provide nutrient to the soil
·
Pika help in loosening the soil layer making it
more suitable for water storage
·
Pika help in prevention of soil erosion
·
they are the food sources for many predators
like foxes, wolves, snow leopards and brown bears (keeping pikas population in control)
·
More importantly, pikas feeds on herbs and other
poisonous plant species harmful and unpalatable to livestock.
The
extermination of pika population has been justified for their presence on a
degraded land and their competition with livestock for food. The antipathy
towards pika from local community primarily arises from pika burrowing habitat
which deface surface area and cause accident when travelling through such
places. The above reason found to be
true to some extend as food scarcity make pika forage on plants preferred by
livestock. The mass eradication of pika because of their home location seems
very brutal and unfair. The alpine rangeland problems are, in fact, caused by
unsustainable use of land by humans without proper and realistic measures. The
Chinese government should solve such problem with logical solution instead of
blaming pika.
The
extermination of pika in 1962 was done by using pesticide sodium fluoroacetate
(compound 1080), which is toxic to both human and animals. Later in the mid-1980s, it was replaced with
toxin botulinum type C which affect animals only and kill them by effecting
their neuron system. Both toxin are targeted for the pika and other pests in the
region, however it has also affect livestock and other wild animal passing
through the affected area.
The world would
be a sad place, if the once freely roaming, small furry animal largely mistaken
for rodent are to be completely exterminated from the alpine rangeland. Everything in this world has both good and
bad sides to it. pika might be harmful to the rangeland of Tibet on the bases
of their habitat, competition with
livestock for food but their positive effects on Tibet's rangeland are far
greater than their negative impacts on
the complex ecosystem of Tibet.
In conclusion, pike
should be used for restoring the degrading rangeland instead of blaming them
for current situation.
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