Tibet Plateau or Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the world's highest plateau, with an altitude of more than 4,000 meters, known as the "roof of the world". Actually Tibet Plateau and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are different geographical concepts. The concept of the Tibetan Plateau in China refers only to a part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, whose range refers to the area south of the Kunlun Mountains, north of the Himalayas, east of the Karakorum Mountains, and west of the Hengduan Mountains. After the mid-20th century, the term "Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" was widely used in China. However, in foreign countries, the term "Tibetan Plateau" was adopted to describe the whole Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which had been used since the beginning of the 20th century. The scientific research community in China has adopted the Tibetan Plateau to translate "Qinghai-Tibet Plateau". So Tibetan Plateau mentioned below will be stated in a broad concept as Qinghai- Tibet Plateau.

Tibet is located on the Tibetan Plateau. As a vast area on the roof of the world, the remote traffic conditions here have almost completely isolated Tibet from the outside world for more than a thousand years. In addition, the harsh natural conditions here, such as high altitude, high-temperature difference, lack of oxygen, severe cold, permafrost and other factors, make the crops suitable for survival on this land few and small, and the number is negligible. Restricted by these unfavorable factors, the Tibetan monk diet can only use highland barley and Tsampa as their staple food sources in daily life. Since the rise of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, it has gradually gained a dominant position on the Tibetan Plateau. To appease the Mongolian tribes, the Qing Dynasty favored the Gelug Sect. Because of its exclusive status, the monks of Tibetan Buddhism, represented by the Gelug School, were not engaged in production activities but depended entirely on believers for food. The most fundamental reason for eating meat is still related to the environment as natural conditions no longer allow them to make other choices.