Jane QiuTibetan grasslands have been a lifeline for pastoralists for thousands of years.
The following story diagram—or Storygram—annotates an award-winning story to shed light on what makes some of the best science writing so outstanding. The Storygram series is a joint project of The Open Notebook and the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. It is supported in part by a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. This Storygram is co-published at the CASW Showcase.
Many readers from the West have never been to Tibet, and yet they have an idealized vision in their minds of what it contains: lamas clad in crimson robes, herds of yaks peacefully roaming the land, and colorful temples shrouded in mist. Degraded grasslands and fenced-off grazing zones don’t usually fit into that vision. In a feature article for Nature, “Trouble in Tibet,” Jane Qiu challenges such romanticized notions, explaining how Chinese government policies have led to nomads being relocated and steel meshes being erected along grassland slopes. Scientists now contend that such policies, while ostensibly aimed at restoring the health of the grasslands, have instead hurt the area.
The logistical issues with reporting a story like this cannot be overemphasized. Writing about the Tibetan Plateau presents an array of practical challenges—starting with altitude sickness. Beginning her journey in Qinghai province, Qiu hired a driver and embarked on a 4,700-kilometer (2,900-mile) trek over difficult terrain. (Be sure to read the Q&A, where Qiu details how she set up this piece, along with some of the hurdles she encountered along the way.) En route to her final destination of Lhasa, Qiu interviewed nomads, local researchers, government officials, and scientists with a broader global perspective.
This journey becomes an effective framing device for the article, guiding the reader through pertinent research on the area. Qiu’s trip also mirrors the intellectual arc of the story; she helpfully switches from one topic to the next as she covers geographical ground. The result is a piece that packs a great deal of dense research into an engaging framework.
Ultimately, Qiu makes a strong argument for why readers outside the area should care about environmental degradation in Tibet. As a climate change hotspot and the site of the headwaters for three of Asia’s major rivers, Tibet is a bellwether for environmental conditions elsewhere.
