Study on the Timely Adjustment of the Grazing Prohibition Policy: Ban or Lift? Empirical Research from Local Government Managers

Abstract

As national policy implementers and regional development planners, local government managers have a clearer, more objective and comprehensive understanding of ecological changes than herdsmen. Thus, they have a significant impact on the sustainable development of grassland resources and agricultural and pastoral areas. In this paper, grassland ecological change and related factors in different stages were investigated by means of questionnaires and structured interviews, and the adjustment strategies of grazing prohibition policy were studied. The perception of local government managers was that there was an improvement in grassland ecology, coverage, quality, yield, and in species richness in the early grazing prohibition period. There was, furthermore, an obvious improvement in the intermediate stage and a significant improvement with some degradation in its current stage. The grazing prohibition policy urgently needs to be adjusted according to the management pattern and to the limited time and space. It is necessary to improve the standard of ecological compensation and bolster herdsmen livelihoods, diversification, and non-agriculturalization. Based on the non-equilibrium theory and polycentric governance, the multi-central grassland governance and control system should be created in future.

Factors Influencing Grazing Behavior by Using the Consciousness-Context-Behavior Theory—A Case Study from Yanchi County, China

“…The higher the satisfaction of the herders with the grassland ecological compensation mechanism, the more willing they will be to carry out feeding and breeding in accordance with the policy requirements, which will be more beneficial to grassland ecological restoration. This approach is consistent with the research results the study of Zhou et al Zhou et al found that raising the standard of ecological compensation will encourage farmers to reduce grazing [41]. Hu et al pointed out that when herders are provided with sufficiently high ecological compensation, they are more willing to change the method of grassland use [17].…”

“…This study found that the number of young and middle-aged laborers has a significant mediating effect on grassland dependence and grazing behavior. An increase in livelihood diversity will prompt herders to reduce grazing behavior, consistent with the research of Zhou et al [41]. They believe that promoting the livelihood diversification and non-agriculturalization of farmers can effectively promote farmers' reduction of livestock.…”

Effects of Grazing Exclusion on Biomass Growth and Species Diversity among Various Grassland Types of the Tibetan Plateau

“…In order to mitigate the effects of grassland degradation on the Tibetan Plateau, China has invested~7 billion USD. One example program is "Returning Grazing Land to Grassland", which facilitates grazing exclusion by building fences, has been implemented since 2003 [42]. Understanding the effects of restoration practices on the ecosystem are important for sustainable development [43,44].…”

Retrieval of Green-up Onset Date From MODIS Derived NDVI in Grasslands of Inner Mongolia

“…Direct evidence is needed for determining what time is ''safe'' to start grazing, given that the local policy of seasonal grazing is purely relied on the empirical mode [51]. For example, Wulagai grassland in the east of Inner Mongolia has an open season for grazing since May 20th (DOY 140).…”