"NEW YORK -- The vast highlands and open spaces of China, Tibet and Mongolia – once roamed by snow leopards, wild camels and yaks, Tibetan gazelles, wild sheep and goats – are increasingly dominated by domestic goats that produce hair for the lucrative cashmere trade. Soft and warm, cashmere scarves and sweaters, and cashmere-wool blend coats and suits fetch top prices in exclusive shops."

"A study released today by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society and Seattle-based Snow Leopard Trust demonstrates a link between the cashmere trade and the decay of ecosystems that support some of the planet’s little-known large mammals.

With 90 percent of the world’s cashmere sourced from China and Mongolia, the study finds that as pastoralists expand their goat herds, wildlife from the Tibetan Plateau to Mongolia suffer."

Environment News Service had the story July 24, 2013. [2]