Ecologically-Based Rodent Pest Management: Research Progress in Plateau Zokors on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Ecologically-Based Rodent Pest Management: Research Progress in Plateau Zokors on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Rodent management has been an ongoing global challenge. The emergence of ecologically based rodent management (EBRM) has improved a series of dilemmas in traditional rodent control that are poorly targeted, unsustainable, and environmentally harmful. The plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi) is a key species in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). In recent years, due to its high population density, this subterranean rodent has caused serious damage to the grassland ecosystems on the QTP. Currently, a series of explorations of EBRM on plateau zokors have been initiated. We review progress about EBRM on plateau zokor in this paper, which mainly includes some preliminary investigations on ecological control, biological control and fertility control of plateau zokor population, and these explorations can provide a reference for the conservation of the global grassland ecosystem.