Track 2-07: Climate Change Impacts on Grassland Production, Composition, Distribution and Adaptation
Description
The Xilingol grassland covers the region bounded by 41’09”–45’31” N and 111’14”–118’25” E. It is representative of a typical steppe in northern China, with the major native grass species present being Aneurolepidium chinense and Stipa spp. However these grasslands have become increasingly degraded due to desertification and/or the impacts of human activities resulting in the previous climax plant community becoming substantially altered.
In the Xilingol League most weather station started observations around 1960 (earliest 1952), however, grassland phenology and biomass measurement only started in 1980. The growing season runs from the 1st May to the 30th September. Between 1961-2010, the Xilingol grassland annual mean temperature has increased by 2.2ºC, precipitation has decreased by18.65 mm, and sunlight decreased by 25.75 hours. Moreover, rainfall patterns have changed and extreme rainfall events and drought events have increased. In the 2000’s, a policy to reduce the human population and grazing intensity in grassland areas was implemented and resulted in the removal of farmers from the Xilingol region. In addition, other measures were undertaken to reduce the impact of grazing including fencing vulnerable areas to exclude livestock, rotational grazing, and banning of grazing during spring to prevent further grassland degradation and promote recovery (Zhao and Zu 2000).
The aim of this paper is to determine how to best manage stocking density based on grass yield.
Included in
Precipitation Pattern Change Influence on Vegetation of Xilingol Grassland in Inner Mongolia, China
The Xilingol grassland covers the region bounded by 41’09”–45’31” N and 111’14”–118’25” E. It is representative of a typical steppe in northern China, with the major native grass species present being Aneurolepidium chinense and Stipa spp. However these grasslands have become increasingly degraded due to desertification and/or the impacts of human activities resulting in the previous climax plant community becoming substantially altered.
In the Xilingol League most weather station started observations around 1960 (earliest 1952), however, grassland phenology and biomass measurement only started in 1980. The growing season runs from the 1st May to the 30th September. Between 1961-2010, the Xilingol grassland annual mean temperature has increased by 2.2ºC, precipitation has decreased by18.65 mm, and sunlight decreased by 25.75 hours. Moreover, rainfall patterns have changed and extreme rainfall events and drought events have increased. In the 2000’s, a policy to reduce the human population and grazing intensity in grassland areas was implemented and resulted in the removal of farmers from the Xilingol region. In addition, other measures were undertaken to reduce the impact of grazing including fencing vulnerable areas to exclude livestock, rotational grazing, and banning of grazing during spring to prevent further grassland degradation and promote recovery (Zhao and Zu 2000).
The aim of this paper is to determine how to best manage stocking density based on grass yield.
