Mongolian rangelands at a tipping point? Biomass and cover are stable but composition shifts and richness declines after 20 years of grazing and increasing temperatures

Khishigbayar, J.; Fernández‐Giménez, María E.; Angerer, Jay P.; Reid, Robin S.; Chantsallkham, J.; Baasandorj, Ya; Zumberelmaa, D.

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2015.01.007

Cited by 82 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Recent rangeland studies in both countries mainly focused on different interacting drivers of declining herbage yields and herbage quality such as increasing livestock numbers, changes in livestock species, reduction of livestock mobility, reduction of affordable and good quality winter fodder, privatization of rangeland, alteration of traditional rangeland management, rural labour outmigration to cities and changing climate either in China or in Mongolia (Glindemann et al 2009;Kakinuma et al 2013;Liu et al 2013;Bruegger et al 2014;Hilker et al 2014;Ma et al 2014;Khishigbayar et al 2015). Despite marked differences between China and Mongolia, both countries struggle with designing effective rangeland strategies, policies and programmes that allow to sustain rangeland productivity on the basis of fine-tuned pasture management and planning for disaster mitigation (Addison et al 2012;Sasaki et al 2012;Schönbach et al 2012;Kreutzmann 2013a;Wang et al 2013;Hilker et al 2014;Khishigbayar et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite marked differences between China and Mongolia, both countries struggle with designing effective rangeland strategies, policies and programmes that allow to sustain rangeland productivity on the basis of fine-tuned pasture management and planning for disaster mitigation (Addison et al 2012;Sasaki et al 2012;Schönbach et al 2012;Kreutzmann 2013a;Wang et al 2013;Hilker et al 2014;Khishigbayar et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatio-temporal patterns of herbage availability and livestock movements: A cross-border analysis in the Chinese-Mongolian Altay

et al. 2016

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Due to increasing population and the recent implementation of policies to intensify the use of land and water resources, the transhumant pastoral systems in the Chinese-Mongolian Altay-Dzungarian region are rapidly changing, leading to modifications of herd size, herd composition and spatial distribution of livestock grazing. This may have major consequences for the supply and quality of rangeland biomass. Despite similar topographic settings, the socio-political framework for Chinese and Mongolian pastoralists differs significantly, leading to differences in rangeland utilization. To substantiate these claims, the long-distance transhumance routes, frequency of pasture changes, daily grazing itineraries and size of pastures were recorded by means of GPS tracking of cattle and goats on 1,535 (China) and 1,396 (Mongolia) observation days. The status quo of the main seasonal pastures was captured by measuring the herbage offer and its nutritive value in 869 sampling spots. In the Altay-Dzungarian region, small ruminant herds covered up to 412 km (Mongolia) and grazed on up to nine pastures per year (China). In Mongolia, the herds' average duration of stay at an individual pasture was longer than in China, particularly in spring and autumn. Herbage allowance at the onset of a grazing period (kg dry matter per sheep unit and day) ranged from 34/17 to 91/95 (China/Mongolia). Comparing crude protein and phosphorous concentrations of herbage, in China, the highest concentrations were measured for spring and summer pastures, whereas in Mongolia, the highest concentrations were determined for autumn and winter pastures. Based on our data, we conclude that regulation of animal numbers and access to pastures seemingly maintained pasture productivity in China, especially at high altitudes. However, this policy may prohibit flexible adaptation to sudden environmental constraints. In contrast, high stocking densities and grazing of pastures before flowering of herbaceous plants negatively affected rangeland productivity in Mongolia, especially for spring and summer pastures.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-temporal patterns of herbage availability and livestock movements: A cross-border analysis in the Chinese-Mongolian Altay

et al. 2016

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“…In most of the sites sampled, the presence of well-distributed, remnant perennial grasses suggests that plant community recovery could occur in a few years to several decades with changes to grazing management (Khishigbayar et al 2015). Thus, STMs are being designed to contain detailed information about recommended stocking rates and grazing deferment periods, tailored to the objectives of either maintaining a state or recovering a former state.…”

Section: Current Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

State and Transition Models: Theory, Applications, and Challenges

Bestelmeyer

Ash

Brown

et al. 2017

Springer Series on Environmental Management

105

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State and transition models (STMs) are used to organize and communicate information regarding ecosystem change, especially the implications for management. The fundamental premise that rangelands can exhibit multiple states is now widely accepted and has deeply pervaded management thinking, even in the absence of formal STM development. The current application of STMs for management, however, has been limited by both the science and the ability of institutions to develop and use STMs. In this chapter, we provide a comprehensive and contemporary overview of STM concepts and applications at a global level. We first review the ecological concepts underlying STMs with the goal of bridging STMs to recent theoretical developments in ecology. We then provide a synthesis of the history of

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“…In a review, Wang et al (2008) conclude that there is surprisingly little unassailable evidence to support the claim that desertification in China is primarily due to human impacts. Similarly, Khishigbayar et al (2015) suggest that many claims about rangeland degradation in Mongolia have weak empirical support. There are also numerous studies that emphasise abiotic drivers of vegetation change, particularly the significance of the precipitation regime (Fernández-Giménez and Allen-Diaz 2001; Stumpp et al 2005;Jeong et al 2011).…”

Section: Desertification In the Gobi Desertmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rangeland management and climate hazards in drylands: dust storms, desertification and the overgrazing debate

Middleton

2016

Nat Hazards

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This paper examines the theory and supporting evidence for links between desertification, drought and dust storms with a particular focus on studies undertaken in and around the Gobi Desert. Overgrazing of rangeland by pastoralists has been the most commonly cited cause of desertification in global drylands for more than 30 years, but the evidence supporting this link is not always convincing. Nonetheless, overgrazing, desertification and dust storms are frequently connected, regardless. Drought is another wellknown and important driver of vegetation cover change. Distinguishing between vegetation cover adversely affected by drought and that reduced by grazing is imperative for policy makers because identifying the incorrect driver of vegetation change risks the development of inappropriate policy.

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Mongolian rangelands at a tipping point? Biomass and cover are stable but composition shifts and richness declines after 20 years of grazing and increasing temperatures

Cited by 82 publications

References 42 publications

Spatio-temporal patterns of herbage availability and livestock movements: A cross-border analysis in the Chinese-Mongolian Altay

Spatio-temporal patterns of herbage availability and livestock movements: A cross-border analysis in the Chinese-Mongolian Altay

State and Transition Models: Theory, Applications, and Challenges

Rangeland management and climate hazards in drylands: dust storms, desertification and the overgrazing debate

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