Rangeland Vegetation Condition

The overall objective of the Rangeland Vegetation Condition workpackage is to compare the impacts of rangeland enclosure and its associated management systems on the condition of the rangeland vegetation. This will include:

• Development of a digital database, within a GIS framework, of rangeland resources in each of the study areas
• Participatory development with pastoralists of indicators of rangeland condition.
• Quantifying rangeland condition in enclosed and open rangelands and in areas excluded from grazing. This will include estimation of above-ground biomass and species composition
• An overview of the ecological effects of rangeland enclosure, in order to measure the response of different rangeland types to enclosure.
• Disaggregating the environmental and management effects of enclosure on vegetation.
• Exploring with pastoralists and facilitating the implementation of improved co-management systems for resource sustainability.

The five study areas represent different climate conditions, vegetation types, levels of primary productivity and soil associations. The study area in SongpanCounty and in Zoige County of Sichuan Province represent high vegetation productivity in montane and peatland rangelands, respectively. The study area in QinghaiProvince represents typical high frigid meadows with medium vegetation productivity. The study area in Gansu represents alpine meadows of intermediate productivity, while the area in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) represents high arid grassland with low vegetation productivity.

In each of the study areas, background information on vegetation, climate, soil, baseline maps will be collected and summarised through literature review and from governmental agencies. Information on historical patterns of land use will be obtained. Rapid rural appraisals will then be carried out in co-operation with other work packages, with a focus on the enclosure process, time of enclosure and management technologies of the fenced and the open rangeland. Utilisation intensities (or stocking rates) will be calculated for the fenced and open lands according to the results from other work packages. Data obtained from work on participatory mapping and transect investigation will be used to survey the general features of vegetation, soil and resource management within the area. All the information collected in the preliminary survey will be put into a GIS-based database.

Participatory approaches involving local communities and local management agencies will assist in selection of the field monitoring sites and identification, evaluation, selection, assessment and application of indicators of vegetation condition and state that are used by local people.