Alpine grassland degradation and its control in the source region of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, China

Serious grassland degradation is endangering the environment of the source regions of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers (SRYYR). There is an urgent need to analyze and review the grassland resources, status of grassland degradation, factors causing grassland degradation, and measures for grassland protection and restoration so as to ensure sustainable development in the SRYYR. This review shows that: (1) The alpine meadow, one of the most important grassland types in the SRYYR, can be divided into four subtypes: typical alpine meadow, alpine swamp meadow, alpine steppe meadow and alpine shrub meadow. (2) There is approximately 357.13 × 104 ha degraded grassland in this area, which is 34.34% of the area of all the investigated grasslands in the SRYYR, and heavily degraded grasslands cover an area of 74.34 × 104 ha, approximately 20.82% of the degraded grasslands. (3) Alpine grassland degradation in the SRYYR follows the following sequence: non-degraded grassland lightly degraded grassland moderately degraded grassland heavily degraded grassland. (4) Grassland degradation in the SRYYR is caused by the integrated effect of anthropogenic and natural factors. The principal factors causing grassland degradation are thought to be long-term overgrazing and the destruction by rodents that follows, and climate warming, which accelerates the grassland degradation process. (5) Some effective management practices (e.g. rodent and ruderal weed control, establishment of artificial grassland, rational management of grassland, and optimizing livestock structure) and integrated countermeasures for the restoration of degraded grasslands have been developed in the SRYYR.

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