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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #302004

Title: Adaptive management of grazing lands

Author
item HAN, GUODONG - Inner Mongolian Agriculture University
item LIU, TONG - Inner Mongolian Agriculture University
item WANG, ZHONGWU - Inner Mongolian Agriculture University
item LI, ZHIGUO - Inner Mongolian Agriculture University
item ZHAO, MENGLI - Inner Mongolian Agriculture University
item Havstad, Kris
item WU, JIANGUO - Arizona State University
item KEMP, DAVID - Charles Stuart University

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2013
Publication Date: 12/20/2013
Citation: Han, G., Liu, T., Wang, Z., Li, Z., Zhao, M., Havstad, K.M., Wu, J., Kemp, D. 2013. Adaptive management of grazing lands. In: Chen, J., Wan, S., Henebry, G., Qi, J., Gutman, G., Sun, G., Kappas, M., editors. Dryland East Asia, Land Dynamics Amid Social and Climate Change. Beijing, China; Higher Education Press. p. 447-464.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Rangelands, the mainland type used as grazing lands, occupy ~54% of the world’s ice-free land surface, and grasslands dominate ~ 16% of all rangelands. China is the third largest country for rangeland resources in the world and has approximately 400 million ha rangeland, about 40% of China’s land surface. These grazing lands are susceptible to severe degradation due to overexploitation, especially, overgrazing. This chapter provides an overview of the geographic distribution and management issues of these grazing lands, and a case study on adaptive management in an innovative grazing system in desert steppe of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IM), China. We emphasize the importance of applying models and management demonstration related to stocking rate reduction, lambing time change and the use of warm shed based on household to prevent resource degradation. We discuss the interaction of ecological and economic benefits in the application of grazing systems for desert steppe areas. We provide evidence for the use of an innovative adaptive management practice based on development of a summer grazing system with low stock rate and winter warm shed feeding.