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This project will address a local need for a plan for the sustainable exploitation and control of burrowing mammals on the Tibetan Plateau, while maintaining the diverse community of alpine plants and mammals. We will work with local scientists to develop understanding of the ecology of zokors and pikas and the impact of management strategies on them and their predators. Simultaneously we will identify the concerns and practices of the local stakeholders and describe the microeconomics of their local situations. By combining understanding of the ecology, ecotoxicology and economics of the situation, we will construct a cost-benefit analysis that will identify the optimal management plan for sustaining regional diversity while supporting local people. This plan will then be disseminated via a network of local advisors and a public education programme about the control and exploitation of burrowing mammals. We have established contact with local scientists based at the Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology in Xining City, the capital of Qinghai Provice.