Grazing systems and pasture condition
Past, present and future: rangelands in China
Rangelands and changes in pastoral use in an ethnic-minority region, Gansu, China
Authors:
D. Bedunah; R. Harris
Publisher:
Case Western Reserve University , 2002
Overview of the rangelands of the Jianshe region of China which discusses the environmental and social issues associated with the pastoralist land use in the area. The paper outlines the ecological typology of the rangelands and discusses the history of pastoralism as context for an exploration of the current livestock production system employed.
The authors identify two major threats to the pastoralist lifestyle in the region:
- overgrazing
- depletion of fuelwood plants
They attribute the cause of these problems to a lack of flexibility in the local government policy, restricted movement of herds and over stocking.
The paper advocates a more active management regime and monitoring by land managers to ensure sustainable use of the rangelands for both pastoralists and wildlife.
