LNELecture Notes in Education, Arts, Management and Social Science3083-10912705-053XBio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty. Ltd.10.26689/LNE.v4i7.15945ArticleEcological Adaptation of Pastoral Livelihoods in the Tengger Desert: An Ethnographic Case Study of Tulantai Gacha, Alxa Left Bannerhttps://artdesignp.com/journal/LNE/4/7/10.26689/LNE.v4i7.15945ZhaoZewen,ZhaoLiwen2026472026-07-26Taking Tulantai Gacha in Hashiha Sum, Alxa Left Banner of Inner Mongolia as the field site, this study focuses on the ecological adaptation practices of herders in the hinterland of the Tengger Desert, and explores the interplay between human livelihood strategies and ecological order in an extremely arid environment. Based on ethnographic investigation and in-depth interviews, the study finds that under the dual pressures of grassland degradation and the grazing prohibition policy, local herders have reconstructed their livelihood system through flexible, diversified livelihood activities. They have developed a livestock husbandry model with a dynamic balance of “utilization and maintenance.” Camel breeding, relying on largely free-range extensive strategies and ecological maintenance practices, maintains biological adaptability while alleviating ecological pressure. Cynomorium songaricum cultivation, as an emerging industry, reflects the capacity for cultural adaptation under environmental constraints. The study further reveals that herders have built a sustainable tripartite system of humans, livestock, and the environment through technological selection guided by practice theory and social collaboration supported by the principle of reciprocity. This case provides a new paradigm of cultural adaptation in arid regions for ecological anthropology, and demonstrates the value of human agency in traditional knowledge systems in contemporary ecological governance.Alxa Left Banner, Flexible livelihood strategies, Camel breeding, Cynomorium songaricum cultivation, Ecological adaptability

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