Tibetan brown bears (Ursus arctos pruinosus) are rare across most of the Tibetan Plateau (Schaller 1998, Harris 2008). Yet, contacts between bears and local herders are increasing. Unlike other countries where nuisance bears may be shot or relocated (Peine 2001, Gunther et al. 2004), China forbids these practices, and most hunting is forbidden. In addition, all firearms were confiscated from local herders in 2000. Thus, despite their increasing threats to Tibetan communities, Tibetan brown bears generally are safe from retaliatory killings by local villagers.

Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, which is one of the largest nature reserves in the world, is approximately the size of Illinois, USA, or England and Wales combined (Figure 1). It is one of China’s most important protected areas, covering 50% of the land area of the Sanjiangyuan region. The Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve’s goal is to protect the biodiversity and ecological functions of the source regions of several major Asian rivers: the Yangtze, Yellow, and Mekong rivers. The rivers originating from the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding mountain ranges influence the lives of about 40% of the world’s population (UNEP/GRID-Arendal 2007). To protect this watershed, the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve has begun to adopt a new model of conservation in China under the name of community co-management. In this model, government agencies and local communities collaborate to protect the environment and enhance the well-being of