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Cultural Ecology & Development Photography

DANIEL J. MILLER
Northern Plains Associates
Range Ecology and Nomadic Pastoralism
Email: Photos@WorldViewfinder.com

Dan J. Miller Resume

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Daniel Miller
5235 Western Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20015
Tel: 202-363-1415
Email: wildyakman@hotmail.com

Executive Summary

An extremely motivated Natural Resource Management and Livestock Specialist with a successful track record in poverty alleviation, rural development, natural resource management and biodiversity conservation in Asia. Acknowledged for unique understanding of development issues in Western China. Recognized for exceptional ability to identify and design rural development and conservation programs and to manage and administer diverse and complex projects. Uniquely effective in forming synergistic alliances among diverse interest groups across cultural barriers. Persuasive writer.

· Formulating strategies

· Project design

· Project management

· Policy research

· Evaluation and monitoring

· Strategic alliances

· Publications

· Presentations

· Proposal Writing Selected Achievements

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· Analyzed rangeland and pastoral development issues in arid lands of western China for the World Bank's environmental sector update report on China.

· Formulated a social forestry project in Bhutan for the World Bank. · Developed a pastoral development program in the Tibetan Plateau region of China for the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), based in Kathmandu, Nepal.

· Participated in designing a rural development project in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

· Participated in planning a rural development project in Tibetan areas of northwest Yunnan Province, China for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

· Participated in the design of a pastoral development project in Tibetan areas of western Sichuan Province, China for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

· Conducted livestock sector studies in Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia, and Pakistan for the ADB.

· Implemented range-livestock development projects in Bhutan and Nepal for the ADB. · Participated in designing a livestock development project in Mongolia for the ADB.

· Managed USAID's environmental and natural resource management portfolio of projects in Nepal.

· Designed, secured funding for, and directed a poverty reduction project among Tibetan nomads in the Tibetan Autonomous Region for the Tibet Poverty Alleviation Fund, a US-based NGO.

· Conducted research on wild yaks on the Tibetan Plateau in western China.

· Conducted research on Tibetan nomads and Tibetan nomadic pastoralism in western China.

· Collected a species of grass on the slopes of Mt. Everest in Nepal that was determined to be a new species and has since been named Stipa milleri.

· Organized two workshops, "Conservation and Management of Yak Genetic Diversity" and "Rangelands and Pastoral Development in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau", which were held at ICIMOD in Kathmandu, and edited the published proceedings from these workshops.

· Assisted in organizing two WWF-funded workshops, "Tibet's Biodiversity: Conservation and Management", held in Lhasa, August 30-September 4, 1998 and "Ecoregion Based Conservation in the Eastern Himalayas", held in Kathmandu from December 1-3, 1999, and edited the proceedings from these workshops.

· Authored a book, Fields of Grass: Portraits of the Pastoral Landscape and Nomads of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas, a collection of 230 black and white photographs and text.

· Held an exhibition of black and white photography, Nomads of the Tibetan Steppe, in Beijing, China at the Century Art Centre, March 27-April 4, 1999.

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Employment History

Freelance Consultant in Rural Development and Environmental Conservation December 1997 to present
Executed varied short-term consultancies in rural development and biodiversity conservation in Asia (mainly China, Nepal and the Kyrgyz Republic) for NGOs and bilateral and multilateral organizations. Clients included the World Bank, FAO, Canadian government, New Zealand government, Australian Agency for International Development, World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, Tibet Poverty Alleviation Fund, the Mountain Institute, and Oxfam Hong Kong. Work included project design and appraisal, sector studies, participatory rural appraisals, organizing workshops, editing workshop proceedings, and proposal preparation.

Rangeland Specialist International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, (ICIMOD) Kathmandu, Nepal August 1995 to December 1997
Developed and managed ICIMOD's rangeland resource and pastoral development program for the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region in Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Directed analyses of rangeland ecosystems and nomadic pastoralism. Supervised interns and directed training programs. Integrated gender concerns into the rangeland program. Organized international workshops and edited the published proceedings from the workshops. Prepared funding proposals. Networked with other donors.

Livestock and Environmental Specialist U.S. Agency for International Development, Kathmandu, Nepal August 1992 to August 1995
Programmed and supervised USAID's dairy development and environmental programs in Nepal. Organized the strategic planning process for new forestry and environmental initiatives. Monitored and evaluated projects. Coordinated the donor subgroup in Nepal on environmental policies and programs.

Freelance Consultant in Rural Development and Environmental Conservation October 1983 to August 1992
Conducted short term and long-term assignments for UNDP, USAID, FAO, ADB, World Bank and WWF in Bhutan, China, Mongolia and Nepal in rural development, range-livestock production, forestry, and biodiversity conservation. Work included participatory rural appraisals, sector studies, environmental assessments, protected area planning, feasibility studies, project implementation, and project appraisals.

Cowboy November 1978 to September 1983
Involved in all phases of operating a large (10,000 mother cows) commercial beef cattle ranch on a one million acre ranch in Montana, USA. Work included calving, roundups, haying and winter feeding.

American Peace Corps Volunteer - Nepal November 1974 to October 1978
Worked in rural development with Tibetan-speaking yak herders in the Langtang region of Nepal. Spent 3 months in training learning to speak Nepalese and when I got to my village, which was a 6 day trek from the end of the road, nobody spoke Nepalese, they all spoke Tibetan! I extended for a third year. Farming 1960 to 1974 Involved in all aspects of operating a 500 acre family farm in southern Minnesota.

Languages Spoken
Nepalese, Tibetan and some Chinese

Education
Master's Degree, Forestry, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 1987 Bachelor's Degree, Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 1981

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Daniel Miller is a rangeland ecologist and agricultural development specialist with over 15 years professional experience in agricultural development, natural resource management and biodiversity conservation in Asia. He has worked in Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Nepal and Pakistan and has traveled widely throughout South and Southeast Asia. He speaks Nepalese, Tibetan, and some Chinese.

Mr. Miller grew up on a dairy farm in Minnesota and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal, working in agricultural development. For many years, he also worked as a cowboy in Montana.

From 1984 to 1992, Mr. Miller formulated, appraised, and implemented numerous range-livestock development, community forestry, and watershed management projects as a consultant for USAID, UNDP, FAO, Canadian International Development Agency, Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank in Bhutan, China, Mongolia, and Nepal.

From 1992 to 1995, Mr. Miller managed the dairy development and environmental portfolio for USAID/Nepal. Duties included the strategic planning process for new forestry and environment initiatives.

From 1995 to 1997, while employed as a rangeland specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal, Mr. Miller directed assessments of rangeland ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau and Himalaya, which included work in Bhutan, China, Nepal and Pakistan. These studies encompassed pastoral production, rangeland management, and biodiversity and resulted in published proceedings from two international workshops, which Mr. Miller organized. While at ICIMOD, Mr. Miller also undertook work for the New Zealand government to prepare a rural development and environmental conservation project in northwest Yunnan Province, China and participated in an assessment of the range-livestock sector of Pakistan for the ADB.

In 1998, Mr. Miller was engaged by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to assess biodiversity and opportunities for integrated conservation and development activities in northwest Yunnan Province of China.

In 1998, he assisted the WWF-China Program in organizing an international conference on Tibet's biodiversity, held in Lhasa, Tibetan Autonomous Region, China and edited the papers presented at the workshop for a proceedings that is being published by WWF.

In Tibet, Mr. Miller also worked for the US-based NGO, Tibet Poverty Alleviation Foundation, in 1998 to develop and implement participatory rural development and environmental conservation projects among Tibetan nomads.

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) engaged Mr. Miller in 1998 and 1999 to design a bilateral co-operation project in environmental conservation and rural development in Tibet.

In 1999, Mr. Miller was engaged by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) to assess forests and grazing lands in Nepal.

In 1999, he also undertook a consultancy for the New Zealand government in Sichuan Province, China to design a livestock development project. As a consultant for WWF in 1999, Mr. Miller organized an ecoregion-based conservation workshop for the Eastern Himalayas in Kathmandu, Nepal and edited the proceedings from the workshop.

In 2000, Conservation International, a Washington, DC-based conservation organization, engaged Mr. Miller as a consultant to assess opportunities for biodiversity conservation projects in Sichuan Province, China. The Peak Enterprise Program of the Mountain Institute, a Franklin, West Virginia-based NGO, employed Mr. Miller as a short-term consultant on dairy development projects in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China.

In 2000, the World Bank contracted with Mr. Miller to analyze rangeland resource management issues in western China as part of the Bank's environmental sector update report.

In 2000, Mr. Miller organized and led a forage germplasm collecting trip in the Tibetan Plateau of China on a joint cooperative project between the US Department of Agriculture and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture.

Recently, Mr. Miller has been engaged by the Canadian International Development Agency to advise on pastoral development in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China.

Mr. Miller operates his own consulting business focussing on rural development and natural resource management in Asia. He is based in Washington, DC. Daniel Miller

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Synopsis of Central Asia Rangeland and Nomadic Pastoral Experience

Rangeland and Nomadic Pastoralism Research:
1988 to 1991 - Conducted research on rangelands and wildlife in the Kunlun Mountains of Qinghai Province, China on a collaborative project between the University of Montana, Missoula, Montana and the Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai.

1995 to 1997 - Directed assessments of rangeland ecosystems and nomadic pastoral production in Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China for the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal.

1997 - Conducted research on rangelands and nomadic pastoral production in the Chang Tang region of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China in collaboration with Dr. Melvyn Goldstein, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio and researchers from the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences, Lhasa with funding from the National Geographic Society.

Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Protection:
1993 and 1994 - Collaborated with Dr. George Schaller, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York and the Tibet Forestry Department, Lhasa on rangeland and wildlife surveys in the Chang Tang Wildlife Reserve, Tibetan Autonomous Region, China.

1998 - Assessed biodiversity needs and opportunities for integrated conservation and development projects in northwest Yunnan Province, China for The Nature Conservancy.

1998 - Organized an international workshop on Tibet's biodiversity, which was held in Lhasa, Tibetan Autonomous Region, China for the World Wildlife Fund and edited the proceedings from the workshop.

2000 - Conducted biodiversity assessments in western Sichuan Province, China to develop a biodiversity conservation program for Conservation International.

2000 - Researched and wrote the grassland chapter for the China Environmental Sector Strategy Update for the World Bank.

2000 - Organized and led a forage germplasm collecting expedition for the US Department of Agriculture in the Tibetan plateau region of Gansu and Sichuan Provinces, China.

Rural Development:
1990 - Appraised a rural development project in Tibetan areas of Gannan Prefecture, Gansu Province, China for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

1992 - Participated in an Asian Development Bank-funded livestock sector study and formulation of a feed development project in Mongolia.

1997 - Prepared a rural development and environmental conservation project in Degin Prefecture of northwest Yunnan Province, China for the New Zealand government.

1998 - Identified a rural development project in Shannan and Naqu Prefectures of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

1998 - Developed and implemented a participatory development program among Tibetan nomads in Naqu Prefecture of the Tibetan Autonomous Region for the US-based NGO, Tibet Poverty Alleviation Fund.

1998 - Appraised a poverty reduction project among Tibetan nomads in Gannan Prefecture, Gansu Province, China for Oxfam Hong Kong.

1998 - Evaluated a livestock and pastoral development project in Qinghai Province, China for the European Union.

1999 - Prepared a pastoral development project in Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China for the New Zealand government.

1999 - Designed a rural development project in Naqu and Shannan Prefectures of Tibet, China for CIDA.

2000 - Advised on dairy development in Tibet for the US-based NGO, The Mountain Institute.

2000 - Formulated pastoral development projects in Gansu and Sichuan Provinces, China for the US-based NGO, The Bridge Fund.

2000 - Served as a technical advisor to the Canadian International Development Agency on their Basic Human Needs Project in Shannan and Naqu Prefectures, Tibetan Autonomous Region, China.

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PUBLICATIONS

Senior Author:

Miller, D. (in press). Looking back to move ahead: Integrating indigenous nomadic knowledge into the modern range profession in China. Rangelands Miller, D. (in press). Snowstorms, restocking and settling nomads on the Tibetan Plateau in Western China. In: C. Heffernan (ed.) Livestock and Livelihoods: Current Perspectives on Restocking. Reading University, Reading, UK.

Miller, D. 2000. Tough times for Tibetan nomads in Western China: Snowstorms, settling down, fences, and the demise of traditional nomadic pastoralism. Nomadic Peoples, 4(1): 83-109.

Miller, D. 2000. Tibetan nomads, pp. 61-63. In: C. Borden (ed.) Smithsonian Folklife Festival, 2000. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.

Miller, D. 1999. Herders of forty centuries: Nomads of Tibetan rangelands in western China, pp. 402-403. In: D. Eldridge and D. Freudenberger (eds.) People and Rangelands: Building the Future, Proceedings of the VIth International Rangeland Congress, July 19-23, 1999, Townsville, Australia. VI International Rangeland Congress, Inc., Aitkenvale, Australia.

Miller, D. 1999. Nomads of the Tibetan Plateau rangelands in Western China, Part Three: Pastoral Development and Future Challenges. Rangelands, 21(2): 17-20.

Miller, D. 1999. Nomads of the Tibetan Plateau rangelands in Western China, Part Two: Pastoral Production. Rangelands, 21(1): 16-19.

Miller, D. 1998. Nomads of the Tibetan Plateau Rangelands in Western China, Part One: Pastoral History. Rangelands, 20(6): 24-29.

Miller, D. 1998. Grassland privatization and future challenges in the Tibetan Plateau of Western China. pp. 106-122, In: Jian Liu and Qi Lu (eds.) Proceedings of the International Workshop on Grassland Management and Livestock Production in China, Reports of the Sustainable Agricultural Working Group, China Council on International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) March 28-29, 1998, Beijing, China. China Environmental Science Press, Beijing.

Miller, D. 1998. Conserving biological diversity in Himalayan and Tibetan Plateau rangelands. pp. 291-320, In: Ecoregional Co-operation for Biodiversity Conservation in the Himalaya, Report on the International Meeting on Himalaya Ecoregional Co-operation, February 16-18, 1998, Kathmandu, Nepal. UNDP and WWF, New York. Miller, D. 1998. Fields of Grass: Portraits of the Pastoral Landscape and Nomads of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalaya. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu.

Miller, D. and G. Schaller. 1998. Rangeland dynamics in the Chang Tang Wildlife Reserve, Tibet, pp. 125-147. In: I. Stellrecht (ed.) Karakorum-Hindukush-Himalaya: Dynamics of Change. Rudiger Koppe Verlag, Koln, Germany.

Miller, D. 1998. Tibetan pastoralism: hard times on the plateau. Chinabrief 1(2): 17-22. Miller, D. 1997. Status and Future Development in the Chang Tang Wildlife Reserve, Tibet (in Chinese). Caoyuan Yu Mucao 1997-1 (76): 1-6.

Miller, D. 1997. Rangelands and Pastoral Development: An Introduction. pp. 1-6. In: Miller, D. and S. Craig (eds.) Rangelands and Pastoral Development in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas, Proceedings of a Regional Experts' Meeting, November 5-7, 1996, Kathmandu, Nepal. ICIMOD, Kathmandu.

Miller, D. 1997. New Perspectives on Range Management and Pastoralism and their Implications for Hindu Kush-Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau Rangelands. pp. 7-12. In: Miller, D. and S. Craig (eds.) Rangelands and Pastoral Development in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas, Proceedings of a Regional Experts' Meeting, November 5-7, 1996, Kathmandu, Nepal. ICIMOD, Kathmandu.

Miller, D. 1997. Conserving and managing yak genetic diversity: an introduction. pp. 2-11. In: Miller, D., S. Craig and G. Rana (eds.) Conservation and Management of Yak Genetic Diversity, Proceedings of a Workshop, 29-31 October 1996, Kathmandu, Nepal. ICIMOD and FAO, Kathmandu.

Miller, D. 1997. Range Management and Pastoralism: New Perspectives and Their Implications. ICIMOD Newsletter, 26: 4-7. Miller, D. 1997. Conserving Biodiversity in HKH Rangelands. ICIMOD Newsletter, 26: 8-11.

Miller, D. 1997. Conserving an Managing Yak Genetic Diversity. ICIMOD Newsletter, 26: 12-14.

Miller, D. and G. Schaller. 1997. Conservation Threats to the Chang Tang Wildlife Reserve, Tibet. Ambio, 26(3): 185-186. Miller, D. and G. Schaller. 1996. Rangelands of the Chang Tang Wildlife Reserve in Tibet. Rangelands, 18(3): 91-96.

Miller, D. 1995. Herds on the Move: Winds of Change Among Pastoralists in the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau. ICIMOD Discussion Paper MNR 95/2. ICIMOD, Kathmandu.

Miller, D. and D. Bedunah. 1994. Rangelands of the Kunlun Mountains in Western China. Rangelands, 16(2): 71-76.

Miller, D., R. Harris and Cai, G. 1994. Wild yaks and their conservation on the Tibetan Plateau. pp. 27-34. In: Proceedings of the 1st International Congress on Yak, R. Zhang, J. Han, J. Wu (eds.) Gansu Agricultural Univ., Lanzhou.

Miller, D. and R. Jackson. 1994. Livestock and snow leopards: making room for competing users on the Tibetan Plateau, pp. 315-328. In: Fox, J. and Du Jizeng (eds.) Proceedings of the Seventh International Snow Leopard Symposium. International Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle.

Miller, D. and D. Bedunah. 1993. High elevation rangeland in the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau: issues, perspectives and strategies for livestock development and resource conservation. pp. 1785-1790. Proceedings of the Seventeeth International Grassland Congress, February 20, 1993, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Miller, D. 1992. Wild yaks of Kunlun. Himal, 5(3): 35-36. Miller, D., D. Bedunah, D. Pletscher and R. Jackson. 1992. From open range to fences: changes in the range-livestock industry on the Tibetan Plateau and implications for development planning and wildlife conservation. pp. 95-109. In: Perrier, G. (ed.) Current natural resource development activities in developing nations, Proceedings of the 1992 International Rangeland Development Symposium, Utah State Univ., Logan.

Miller, D. 1990. Grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau. Rangelands 12(3): 159-163.

Miller, D. 1987. Rangelands of the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. Rangelands, 9(6): 257-259.

Miller, D. 1987. Introductory notes on pastoralism in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan and the potential for development. Bhutan J. Animal Husbandry, 9: 54-59.

Miller, D. 1987. Grassland resources of Bhutan. Bhutan J. Animal Husb., 9: 65-67.

Miller, D. 1986. Observations on yak production systems in Bhutan. Bhutan J. Animal Husb., 8:15-21.

Miller, D. 1986. High elevation grasslands of Nepal. Rangelands, 8(3): 112-114.

Miller, D. 1986. Yaks. Rangelands, 8(3): 115-116.

Collaborating Author:
Bedunah, D. and D. Miller. (in press). Importance of the maintenance of traditional livestock herding culture in sustaining rangeland ecosystems in Mongolia. Proceedings of the Conference on Strategic Considerations on the Development of Central Asia, September 13-18, 1998, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.

Richard, C. and D. Miller. (in press). Grazing commons of the Hindu Kush-Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau: constraint or opportunity? Proceedings of the Conference on Strategic Considerations on the Development of Central Asia, September 13-18, 1998, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.

Harris, R., D. Pletscher, C. Loggers, and D. Miller. 1999. Status and trends of Tibetan plateau mammalian fauna, Yeniugou, China. Biological Conservation, 83: 13-19.

Harris, R., D. Miller and D. Pletscher. 1996. Mammalian status and conservation in Yeniugou, Qinghai, China (in Chinese). Acta Theriological Sinica 16(2): 113-118.

Harris, R. and D. Miller. 1995. Overlap in summer habitats and diets of Tibetan Plateau ungulates. Mammalia 59(2): 197-212.

Bedunah, D. and D. Miller. 1995. Sustainable livestock grazing in Mongolia: socio-political characteristics, grazing ecosystems and rangeland issues, pp. 1-12. In: Gay, C. (ed.) Proceedings of the 1995 International Rangeland Development Symposium. Utah State Univ., Logan.

Edited Publications:
Lu Zhi, D. Miller and J. Springer (eds.) In press. Tibet's Biodiversity: Conservation and Management. Proceedings of an International Workshop, August 30-September 4, 1998, Lhasa, Tibet, China. WWF, Beijing.

Miller, D. and S. Craig. 1997. Rangelands and Pastoral Development in the Hindukush-Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau, Proceedings of a Regional Experts' Meeting. November 5-7, 1996, Kathmandu, Nepal. ICIMOD, Kathmandu.

Miller, D., S. Craig and G. Rana. 1997. Conservation and Management of Yak Genetic Diversity, Proceedings of a Workshop, October 29-31, 1996, Kathmandu, Nepal. ICIMOD and FAO, Kathmandu.