Local herdsmen in Jeminay County in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are preparing to move their flocks from winter pastures to spring pastures for sustainable grazing and pasture management.
As this year's spring transfer comes, herder Shinar made good preparations. Shinar and his wife were loading items onto their pickup truck in preparation for spring settlement in preparation for the lambing season. In the past, camels were the major means of transport for the herdsmen and their belongings, but for now driving vehicles makes the journey both easier and quicker.
Vehicles have also made the life of the herders easier. Meanwhile the improvement of the infrastructure in the pastoral areas has brought continuous benefits to their daily lives.
Shinar's cattle and sheep were already gathered in the yard, ready to depart. Before the pasture migration, the livestock were given a hearty meal to replenish their strength. The herders also marked their livestock in advance to prevent them from mixing with others' animals during the move.
Police at the winter pasture affixed reflective stickers to the livestock. This makes the herders and their livestock more visible and safer when crossing national and provincial highways, especially after dark or in low-visibility conditions, helping to protect both people and livestock during the transfer.
It is estimated that the transfer of more than 200,000 head of livestock in Jeminay County will complete by early April.
The herdsmen often stay where there are water and pastures. Therefore, the seasonal transfer, driven by the vertical distribution of temperature, is not only a way to avoid overgrazing on the same pasture, but also a way to help the grassland renew itself.
Livestock start seasonal pasture migration in Xinjiang
The assassination of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, further destabilizes Iran's political system and complicates prospects for a diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflict, said experts on Wednesday in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, northwest China.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council confirmed on Tuesday that Ali Larijani had been killed. He was the target of an Israeli airstrike, which also killed his son and others.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the killing of Larijani is a major loss to the country.
According to experts on the region, Larijani was a key figure who might have brought about a political resolution to the war.
"The system is going to lose a figure that was able to be pragmatic, diplomatically experienced, and capable also of making the internal case for engagement when needed," said Matteo Capasso, professor of Middle East Studies at China's Northwest University.
Larijani served as Iran's nuclear negotiator, parliamentary speaker, and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, all the while bridging moderates and hardliners.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the killing of Larijani was an effort to weaken Iran's leadership.
Experts, however, said it is a tactic to disrupt the internal order of Iran.
"This would lead to a very (significant) political power vacuum inside Iran. This would endanger the political stability inside the country. So, that's why I don't think it would be an easy task for Iran to overcome the difficulties, although we hope that the political instability could be overcome. But I think it would be a political challenge for Iranian people that they need to face in the future," said Wang Jin, director of the Center of Strategic Studies at Northwest University.
Iran said it has identified three to seven backup candidates for key government and military positions, but the continued attacks targeting Iranian senior officials have pushed the war further from reaching a deal.
"With every assassination and every agreement being broken and every bomb, this puts the U.S. in a situation where it really needs to decide how far they are willing to go in order to allow Israel to impose its vision on the region," said Capasso.
Killing of Larijani dims prospects for diplomatic solution to Iran conflict: experts
