Assessing the effects of ecological restoration approaches in the alpine rangelands of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Ecological restoration has increased in prominence since the last century as an active way to reverse ecosystem deterioration derived from human interventions. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of restoration approaches on ecological and economic conditions of typical regions in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Data were collected using structured questionnaires delivered to 195 herders living in areas with average elevation above 3773 m. Land use maps, MODIS images, and government statistics were also used for the study. It was found that local herders have adopted five major approaches, i.e. enclosure, grazing prohibition, enclosure+deratization, enclosure+deratiza-tion+grass seeding, and enclosure+deratization+crop-forage cultivation+warm sheds, to ensure success of the restoration programs initiated by the government. The results show that vegetation coverage, especially for high and very high coverage grasslands, increased across the study sites and across approaches used, with a high grassland recovery rate observed in the areas where either grazing is prohibited or grassland management was dominated by integration approaches. Furthermore, households who employed integrated approaches tended to have more animals to rear, higher capability of resisting risks, and higher income than those who did not. These findings imply that balanced ecological and economic development is possible when appropriate management approaches are adopted. However, evaluation and monitoring of grassland conditions are needed to readjust restoration policy and associated approaches in a timely manner.

Effects of winter and spring housing on growth performance and blood metabolites of Pengbo semi-wool sheep in Tibet

“…As the report by Tuo et al [13] found, yaks (6 to 8 years of age) fed in a warm shed had a higher live weight than yaks grazing (+283 g/d), and the daily weight gain of the warm-shed yak calves was 189 g/d greater than that of calves from grazing yaks. Similar findings were observed for the marketing rate of Tibetan sheep and yaks by Zhen et al [6], who reported that the marketing rate for Tibetan sheep and yaks, respectively, increased by 3% to 9% and 2% to 3% following implementation of a crop-forage regime plus warm sheds. Additionally, the warm sheds also resulted in more animals to rear and a greater capability to avoid mortality, especially for young animals and adult females, which led to higher incomes.…”

“…In addition, housing and indoor feeding allows the animals to maintain their body temperature during daily grazing and reduces the extra energy requirement of these animals [4]. This, consequently, reduces weight loss and increases financial incomes during winter and spring [5,6]. Previous studies have focused on animal liveweight changes; however, little is known about physiological status and blood metabolites when animal management is changed from traditional grazing systems to semi-grazing and semi-housing systems.…”

Status and Challenges of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau’s Grasslands: An Analysis of Causes, Mitigation Measures, and Way Forward

“…Grassland degradation, due to climate change and anthropogenic activities, has been regarded as one of the primary sustainable development barriers in the 21st century ( Figure 1) [17,30,36,37]. Specifically, in China, a report by the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic China in 2015 estimated that approximately 22% of China's total land area is being degraded [38,39]. It is an undeniable fact with substantial shreds of evidence from the scientific community and local stockholders that the QTP grasslands have been experiencing degradation over the past decades [2,31,40].…”

Spatio-temporal analysis of grassland carrying capacity in Mongolian Plateau based on supply-consumption relationship

“…"退耕还草"等一系列生态恢复和生态治理的相关政策 [47][48] ，牲畜数量得到了控制，直接 缓解了草地的承载压力。而蒙古国的牲畜数量则持续上升，对于草地资源的利用强度加 剧。另外，两国畜牧业养殖方式的不同使得二者对极端气候事件应对能力不同，影响着 牲畜数量的稳定性。在 2010 年初，蒙古高原出现了严重的冻害 [49] ，在相似的气候背景 下，蒙古高原牲畜量出现了明显的降低，而内蒙古自治区的牲畜量却没有发生太大的变 化，说明这可能和两地的放牧政策与生活习俗有关：内蒙古自治区的放牧政策以定居为 主，放牧在固定的草地进行，而且畜牧用的饲料来源比较固定；冬季来临之时，牧民保 存了大量饲料，并且保证了牲畜有稳定的栖息场所；而蒙古国则保持着游牧习俗，牲畜 饲料和住所往往得不到保障，难以应对突发性强的自然灾害 [50][51] 。此外，畜牧业对草地的 影响是多方面的，不仅仅体现在越来越多的牲畜对草地进行啃食、踩踏等活动，也体现 在牲畜分布状况的改变 [25,52] 。例如羊的采食方式是"啃式采食" ，特别是山羊采食往往将 草连根拔起，而牛的采食方式是"卷式采食" ，因此牛采食过程对牧草损伤较小 [19]…”