The 5th International Conference on Yak, with the theme of “sustainable development of yak husbandry and industry”, was held in Lanzhou from 28-30 August, 2014. The conference was organized by the Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences (LIHPS) of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). More than 200 researchers and entrepreneurs from Bhutan, Germany, India, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Switzerland, Tajikistan, USA and China attended the conference.

The conference started with the keynote speech of CAAS Vice President Tang Huajun, highlighting difficulties and challenges that yak industry is facing. He mentioned continues deterioration of the living environment of yak caused by climate change, environment change and human activities. He called upon researchers from domestic and abroad to work closely, especially on information sharing and initiate joint research program to ensure sustainability of yak husbandry and industry.


About yak: yak known as the ‘Boat of the Tibetan Plateau’, is a unique breed in alpine regions with more than 14 million heads of yaks worldwide, mostly found in Tibetan Plateau alpine areas of China. They enjoy leaving in areas with an altitude of above 3000 meters above sea level. They adapt quickly in high altitude areas and low temperature, with renowned characteristic of strong resistance to crude feed but work hard, good ability to walk on the rough road, survive well in snow swamp but also have ability to swim across the river. As a special herbivorous animals of its nature, yak perform well in the highest elevation in the world, with strong vigor that made it the most important production and living creature living in the plateau regions.