Approaches for alpine pasture management and sustainable use

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• Approaches for alpine pasture management and
  sustainable use

Du Guozhen State Key Lab for Arid
Agro-Ecology Lanzhou University
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Outline
1. Basic facts and utilization status of alpine
pasture 2. After contracting grassland to
households 3. Successful attempts and
recommendations
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1. Basic facts and utilization status of alpine
pasture 1.1 Basic fact of the studied areas

• Topography and climate

• Highlands
• Abundant water resources
• Good water reserve at the upper reaches of the
  Yellow River

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1. Basic facts and utilization status of alpine
pasture 1.1 Basic fact of the studied areas
(contd)

• Vegetation

• Thick vegetation coverage
• Short growth period
• One of the areas that have the highest
  productivity of the first industry in
  Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

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1. Basic facts and utilization status of alpine
pasture 1.1 Basic fact of the studied areas
(contd)

• Social and cultural background

• Transhumance in groups
• Unique traditional culture, history, religion
  and ecological ethics of their own nationalities.

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1. Basic facts and utilization status of alpine
pasture 1.2 Current status of pasture use in the
studied areas
Due to overgrazing and irrational use of pasture
for a long time, ecological degradation is
serious, which is mainly reflected in the
following aspects
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1. Basic facts and utilization status of alpine
pasture 1.2 Current status of pasture use in the
studied areas (contd)

• 1) Productivity of pasture decreased
• Dry grass output per mu decreased from 300 kg
  in the 60s to less than 100 kg.

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1. Basic facts and utilization status of alpine
pasture 1.2 Current status of pasture use in the
studied areas (contd)
2) Severe rodent damage The number of rodents
per hectare increased from 8 to 10 in the past to
over 30.
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1. Basic facts and utilization status of alpine
pasture 1.2 Current status of pasture use in the
studied areas (contd)
3)Proportion of poisonous grasses increased The
proportion of poisonous grasses as Ligularia
virgaurea (Maxim.) Mattf. has increased from less
than 20 in 1979 to 40 to 60 at present.
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1. Basic facts and utilization status of alpine
pasture 1.2 Current status of pasture use in the
studied areas (contd)
4) Exposed land surface increased The rate of
exposed land surface increased from less than 10
in the past to 30 at present.
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1. Basic facts and utilization status of alpine
pasture 1.2 Current status of pasture use in the
studied areas (contd)
The above reasons caused mortality of large
number of livestock.
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1. Basic facts and utilization status of alpine
pasture
Herders are longing for prosperity, But due to
degradation of the ecosystem, they feel utterly
helpless.

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1. Basic facts and utilization status of alpine
pasture

• Implications of grassland degradation?
• Due to various artificial interventions, the
  process of obvious changes occurred to the
  structure and functions of the original ecosystem.

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2. After contracting grassland to households
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2. After contracting grassland to households
2.1 Labor intensity increased affecting
schooling of children

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2. After contracting grassland to households

• 2.2 Herders facing greater investment in
  grassland (fencing)

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2. After contracting grassland to households

• 2.3 Conflicts caused among villages and
  households

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2. After contracting grassland to households
2.4 Difficulties caused to drinking water of
human and livestock
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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
Based on the problems, the State Key Laboratory
of Arid Agricultural Ecology of Lanzhou
University proposed recommendations to the
governments at various levels and to the Oxfam
Hong Kong.
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3. Successful attempts and recommendations

• In 1999, Oxfam Hong Kong provided about 2
  million RMB to implement high efficiency
  livestock ecology demonstration and technological
  extension project of alpine pasture in Maqunima
  and Oula townships, the International Center for
  Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) also
  provided some assistance.

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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
During the three years of project implementation,
participatory approach was upheld with
involvement of herders, technological extension
agents, researchers and government
administrators, which has achieved significant
social, ecological and economic benefits
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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
3.1 Approaches 1) Project identification through
participatory approach
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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
3.1 Approaches (contd)
2) Training
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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
3.1 Approaches (contd)
2)Training technical training

• general features of alpine pasture
• current status of pasture use
• key issues in pasture improvement and protection
• planning and implementation plans for pasture
  use and improvement
• dynamic monitoring of pasture vegetation in time
  and space

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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
3.1 Approaches (contd)
2)Training overall training

• rationale, approaches, relations among
  stakeholders, labor division and information
  feedback mechanism for participatory management
• basic skills of technological extension at
  grassroots
• cooperation approaches and coordination methods
  of researcher, government officials,
  technological extension agents and herders.
• mechanism of transparent financial management
  related to the project

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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
3.1 Approaches (contd)
2)Training training of herders

• Roles and operational methods of simple
  technologies in grassland management
• Integration of use of indigenous knowledge and
  modern agricultural technologies
• Explain to herders the implications of
  participatory project management, and mobilize
  the enthusiasm of herders to participate in
  project management
• Explain to herders the important implications of
  upholding equality and democracy in the
  community in project implementation

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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
3.1 Approaches (contd)

• 3) Participatory household identification
• 4) Participatory implementation
• 5) Participatory supervision and management

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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
3.2 Achievements

• 1) Changes of cognition about pasture improvement
• Government administrator
• Technological extension agents
• Herders
• 2) Improvement of management
• 3) Capacity enhancement of technological
  extension agents

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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
3.3 Example
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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
3.3 Example (contd)
Through participation, groups that have different
pasture operation models formed new pasture use
mechanism
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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
Supporting the disadvantaged groups through
participatory approach
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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
3.4 Recommendations

• Stakeholders must jointly participation in
  project identification, implementation and
  management
• Technological measures of grassland improvement
  must be consolidated with participatory
  management measures

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3. Successful attempts and recommendations
3.4 Recommendations (contd)

• Use and improve local norms to manage pasture by
  groups of households jointly
• Technological extension must have solid basic
  research as the theoretical support

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