Meteorological departments in Tibet plan to exploit climatic resources as the project "exploitation and development of climatic resources in grazing areas" has entered the implementation stage, which is expected to complete at the end of this year.

Photo taken in August 2006 shows herders in Gulu County, Nagqu Prefecture of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region using solar photovoltaic panels to generate electricity.

The project leader from the Meteorological Administration of Tibet introduced that 60 unmanned weather stations are to be set up in relatively developed areas and areas which see much human activity and geologic hazards, for instance, areas along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

By using high-resolution data sent by remote sensing satellites, changes and characteristics of climatic recourses in different development priority zones in Tibet can be sized up. Those information will provide scientific basis and technical support to properly exploit, utilize and protect Tibetan-featured climatic resources, and to adjust the structure of Tibet's agriculture and animal husbandry.

With a fine division of agricultural climates, knowledge of the distribution of Tibet's climatic recourses can be acquired. Therefore customized services of introducing and cultivation of high-quality crops and raising of high-quality livestock can be provided to farmers and herders to help them make more profits.

Meanwhile the project provides specific climatic division for the cultivation of Tibetan-featured livestock such as yak, and flora products as Chinese caterpillar fungus and matsutakes. So that industries with strong local feature can be better developed.

Meteorological departments will also carry out evaluation of tourism climatic resources, and come up with methods to utilize and develop advantageous tourism climates to promote sustainable development of Tibet's tourism.

Moreover, meteorologists plan to divide zones of solar and wind energy resources based on geo-information system, thus paving the way for extensive use of solar energy.

(Xinhua News Agency March 25, 2009)