Grazing management options for restoration of alpine grasslands on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

Abstract

In an attempt to alleviate the problem of grassland degradation on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau in China, state and local authorities in 2003, initiated the “Retire Livestock and Restore Pastures” ecological engineering program, requiring the use of enclosure fencing to enable grazing exclusion and rotational grazing. A five‐year controlled grazing experiment was conducted to determine the effects of this program on (1) sheep live weight gain; and (2a) standing herbage biomass; and (2b) species diversity. Effects of temporal within‐year variation in precipitation and temperature on livestock productivity, standing herbage biomass, and species diversity were also investigated. At the end of 5 yr, grazing exclusion showed no significant difference in standing herbage biomass or in species diversity, compared with either continuous grazing or rotational grazing. Rotational grazing at the high stocking rate significantly promoted sheep live weight gain per hectare, but not per sheep; neither standing herbage biomass, nor species diversity, whether under continuous (i.e., traditional) or rotational grazing, showed a significant difference. Under rotational grazing, higher standing herbage biomass and species diversity were required to maintain or increase sheep liveweight, compared with continuous grazing. Temporal distribution of precipitation and temperature had more influence on alpine grassland parameters, than did grazing. Results of this study suggest that herders’ local traditional knowledge and expertise might be useful in modifying Government guidelines to fine tune grazing management with the dynamics of the alpine meadow ecosystem, and that it is important to consider equilibrium and non‐equilibrium theory in formulating a policy which benefits both herders and grassland. Traditional continuous grazing at a carefully chosen light stocking rate appears to be the most appropriate way to manage livestock and grassland in this region.

Tibetan sheep grazing modifies rodent density and their interactions effect on GHG emissions of alpine meadow

“…The average aboveground biomass is 700–1,000 kg DM ha –1 . Typically, there are 25–35 vascular plant species and 800–1,000 individual plants per square meter 49 .…”

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

“…Reaching a consensus on the exact percentage of degraded grasslands has been a challenge in the past [34,41,44] and present. A couple of quantification methods have been employed to assess the rate of grassland degradation on the QTP appropriately, but the estimated values are inconsistent [45]. For example, quantification approaches like remote sensing [45], normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) [46], and Landsat-8 satellite [32] methods have been used to detect degraded grasslands on the QTP over the past decades ( Table 2).…”

“…At the local level, an initiative titled "Retire Livestock and Restore Pastures" was formed in 2003 to regulate grazing activities on the QTP [45,113]. This initiate incorporates ecological engineering concept and model to halt the degradation of grasslands through rotational grazing and exclusion approaches.…”

Grazing significantly increases root shoot ratio but decreases soil organic carbon in Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau grasslands: A hierarchical meta‐analysis

“…Known as 'the roof of the world,' the QTP is the most expansive areas of alpine grasslands worldwide (Dong, Shang, Gao, & Boone, 2020;Lu et al, 2015;Yan, Zhou, Wang, Hu, & Sui, 2015). These alpine grasslands provide various ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, livestock production, biodiversity conservation and recreation (Wang, Sun, Wang, Chang, & Hou, 2018;Yang et al, 2008). Harsh conditions render QTP highly special and sensitive to climate change and human disturbances (Liu et al, 2018;Qiu, 2008;Yao et al, 2012).…”