Land tenure reform and grassland degradation in Inner Mongolia, China

Liu, Min; Dries, Liesbeth; Heijman, Wim; Zhu, Xueqin; Deng, Xiangzheng; Huang, Jikun

doi:10.1016/j.chieco.2019.04.006

Cited by 32 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…On the other hand, trade liberalization of livestock products could help reduce grassland use intensity. Exploring the potential to increase the productivity of the domestic livestock is another way to address this concern, for instance, through the diffusion of techniques for feeding and fattening and by promoting the use of improved breeds [72].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Fence Enclosure on Vegetation Community Characteristics and Productivity of a Degraded Temperate Meadow Steppe in Northern China

Nie

Chen

et al. 2020

Applied Sciences

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Species composition and biomass are two important indicators in assessing the effects of restoration measures of degraded grasslands. In this paper, we present a field study on the temporal changes in plant community characteristics, species diversity and biomass production in a degraded temperate meadow steppe in response to an enclosure measure in Hulunbuir in Northern China. Our results showed that the plant community responded positively to the fence enclosure in terms of vegetation coverage, height, above- and belowground biomass. A year-to-year increase in aboveground biomass was observed, and this increase plateaued at the ninth year of the enclosure. Our results also showed that the existing dominant and foundation species gained predominance against other species. The sum of the biomass of these two species was more than doubled after the ninth year of the enclosure. However, belowground biomass only briefly increased until the fifth year of the enclosure and then decreased until the end of the experimental period. Plant diversity, evenness, and richness indices showed similar trends to that of belowground biomass. Overall, we found that the degraded temperate meadow steppe responded significantly positively to the enclosure treatment, but an optimal condition was only reached after approximately 5–7 years of continuous protection, providing a solid use case for grassland conservation and management at regional scales.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Fence Enclosure on Vegetation Community Characteristics and Productivity of a Degraded Temperate Meadow Steppe in Northern China

Nie

Chen

et al. 2020

Applied Sciences

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“…Second, compared with conventional models, the XGBoost model cannot be easily transferred to other regions for the same research question. Models like CLUE-S and GeoSOS-FLUS have been widely used in different regions across the world (Fuchs et al, 2018;Liang et al, 2018b;Liu et al, 2017;Verburg et al, 2002). When ML models are used in other regions, driver data must be collected and structures adapted.…”

Section: The Limitations Of Xgboost For Scenario Explorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Shapley additive explanations to interpret extreme gradient boosting predictions of grassland degradation in Xilingol, China

Batunacun¹,

Wieland

Lakes

et al. 2021

Geosci. Model Dev.

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Abstract. Machine learning (ML) and data-driven approaches are increasingly used in many research areas. Extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) is a tree boosting method that has evolved into a state-of-the-art approach for many ML challenges. However, it has rarely been used in simulations of land use change so far. Xilingol, a typical region for research on serious grassland degradation and its drivers, was selected as a case study to test whether XGBoost can provide alternative insights that conventional land-use models are unable to generate. A set of 20 drivers was analysed using XGBoost, involving four alternative sampling strategies, and SHAP (Shapley additive explanations) to interpret the results of the purely data-driven approach. The results indicated that, with three of the sampling strategies (over-balanced, balanced, and imbalanced), XGBoost achieved similar and robust simulation results. SHAP values were useful for analysing the complex relationship between the different drivers of grassland degradation. Four drivers accounted for 99 % of the grassland degradation dynamics in Xilingol. These four drivers were spatially allocated, and a risk map of further degradation was produced. The limitations of using XGBoost to predict future land-use change are discussed.

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“…It also provides a basis for the husbandry industry and therefore, herders' livelihoods. Following the implementation of land contracting in China in 1985, collectively managed grasslands began to be contracted either to individual herders or groups of herders (Banks et al, 2003;Li and Huntsinger, 2011;Liu et al, 2019;Wilkes et al, 2010). Liu et al (2019) show that, by 2014, approximately 56% of grasslands in China were contracted to individual herders.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of grassland transfer on herders' livestock production and grazing intensity in Inner Mongolia and Gansu, China

Feng

Tang

Qiu

2021

CAER

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Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the impact mechanism of grassland transfer on herders' production behaviour in pastoral areas. The impact of grassland transfer on herders' livestock production and grazing intensity is quantified.Design/methodology/approach Using the survey data collected for 356 herder households from Inner Mongolia and Gansu, China, quantile regression is employed to assess the heterogeneous effects of grassland transfer on livestock production and grazing intensity. To correct the potential self-selection bias of grassland transfer, the propensity score matching technique is used.Findings Results show that labour, percentage of livestock income and livestock stock are the main factors affecting herders' choice to transfer grassland. The positive effect of grassland transfer on livestock numbers on behalf of those who rented additional grassland is statistically significant but declines with livestock numbers. The sustainability-enhancing effect of grassland transfer on grazing intensity is significant, and the effect becomes larger amongst herder households with higher grazing intensity. The analysis on the impact mechanism shows that grassland transfer significantly promotes the adoption of sustainable grazing modes, such as rotational and seasonal rest grazing, which in turn increases herders' livestock numbers and decreases grazing intensity.Originality/value Few studies have empirically analysed the influence of grassland transfer on livestock numbers and grazing intensity. This study fills this gap by employing a quantile regression to assess the heterogeneous effects of grassland transfer on livestock numbers and grazing intensity, while accounting for self-selection bias. In addition, the authors have examined the influencing mechanisms under which grassland transfer impacts on livestock numbers and grazing intensity.

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Land tenure reform and grassland degradation in Inner Mongolia, China

Cited by 32 publications

References 68 publications

Effects of Fence Enclosure on Vegetation Community Characteristics and Productivity of a Degraded Temperate Meadow Steppe in Northern China

Effects of Fence Enclosure on Vegetation Community Characteristics and Productivity of a Degraded Temperate Meadow Steppe in Northern China

Using Shapley additive explanations to interpret extreme gradient boosting predictions of grassland degradation in Xilingol, China

The effect of grassland transfer on herders' livestock production and grazing intensity in Inner Mongolia and Gansu, China

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