lu and her students used gps to map the sacred mountains in the ganzi district of western sichuan province they found an average of three sacred mountains near each monastery in the district. in the united states, the protected area would be about the size of vermont and new hampshire combined. nearly one third of the land is in sacred areas. translator: who will protect the environment in the west and in china? it is government responsibilities. but the tibetans don't think of it that way. if you think of it that way, you are not buddhist. you are the protector. no matter if you are a newborn or 80 years old, you are all protector. you have responsibilities. all lives should be protected. fred: in some districts, local governments are recognizing the sacred mountains, and some are even hiring tibetans to take care of the national nature reserves. translator: the cultural values of buddhism are very comforting to the scholars of conservation. i felt at last we found a way, and i began to gain confidence in humanity. these tibetan people are not wealthy, yet they can still think of other cr