In much of the Tibetan Plateau, rainfall is ample and good grazing is found, but the land is too high in elevation and too cold for cultivating crops. Tibetan pastoralism has flourished because there has been little or no encroachment into the grasslands by farmers. Unlike the vast, open steppes of Eurasia, Tibetan grazing lands are divided by rugged mountain ranges, deep river valleys, and large lake basins that gives rise to great diversity in topography, climate, vegetation, and pastoral production practices. Sheep and goats grazing in riparian, Kobresia sedge meadow at about 5000m near Mun Tso in west central Tibet with an approaching summer storm. The Kobresia meadows, initiate plant growth earlier than alpine steppe on surrounding mountain slopes and are, therefore, a key grazing area.
Tibetan rangelands are complex environments and appear to function as highly dynamic ecosystems.
Across much of the Tibetan Plateau, there is considerable variation in forage production from one year to another due to varying rainfall. There are even remarkable differences in grass growth in a small geographic area within one season due to local rainfall events. Severe winter snowstorms can bury grass for livestock under snow, often resulting in large livestock losses. There periodic snowstorms add to the complexity and non-equilibrial nature of the ecosystem, making nomadic pastoralism a high risk enterprise.