Register      Login
The Rangeland Journal The Rangeland Journal Society
Journal of the Australian Rangeland Society
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > RJ > RJ09085
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 32(2)

Rangeland governance in China: overview, impacts on Sunan County in Gansu Province and future options

M. P. Wang A E , C. Z. Zhao B E , R. J. Long C F and Y. H. Yang D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China; International Centre for Tibetan Plateau Ecosystem Management, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, Gansu, China.

B Geographic and Environmental Department, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China.

C College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, Gansu, China.

D Qinghai Vocational College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, 812100 Qinghai, China.

E The first two authors have contributed equally to the intellectual content of this paper.

F Corresponding author. Email: longruijun@sina.com

The Rangeland Journal 32(2) 155-163 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ09085
Submitted: 29 December 2009  Accepted: 20 January 2010   Published: 30 June 2010

Abstract

The development of the current regulatory framework for management of rangeland resources in China began in 1949. Prior to this, there were family, tribal and other traditional systems of grazing management. The emphasis in government policy since 1949 has been to increase livestock production and economic output from the rangelands. The operations of these policies and regulations in Sunan County, a typical rangeland county in Gansu Province, are examined. The existing laws, policies, and regulations related to rangeland management in Sunan County and elsewhere are identified and described. It is argued that a policy based on rational processes should lead to desired outcomes. Therefore, emphasis needs to be placed on processes that facilitate the development and implementation of policies at every level of government to promote sustainable use and management of natural resources and to secure sustainable livelihoods. It is concluded that the rangeland policies have been rarely integrated with the concept of sustainable development. This is now changing. Sustainable development philosophy needs to be further incorporated into the developmental processes for rangeland policies. Until now processes have focused predominantly on economic performance.

Additional keywords: development, grassland, land tenure, policy, sustainability.


Acknowledgements

This research has been partly supported by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal. Dr V. R. Squires commented on a draft of this paper and we are grateful for his helpful suggestions. Dr Kenneth C. Hodgkinson provided editorial work on the final manuscript.


References


Banks T. (2001) Property rights and the environment in pastoral China: evidence from the field. Development and Change 32, 717–740.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | (accessed 26 March 2004).

Gansu Provincial Rural Statistical Year Book (2005). ‘Gansu Provincial Statistical Year Book.’ (China Statistics Press: Beijing.)

Han J. G., Zhang Y. J., Wang C. J., Bai W. M., Wang Y. R., Han G. D., Li L. H. (2008) Rangeland degradation and restoration management in China. The Rangeland Journal 30, 233–239.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | (accessed 29 December 2009).

Hodgkinson K. C. (1991). Identification of critical thresholds for opportunistic management of rangeland vegetation. In: ‘Proceedings IVth International Rangeland Congress’. Montpellier, France. (Eds A. Gaston, M. Kernick and H. Le Houérou.) pp. 127–129. (Service Central d’Information Scientifique et Technique: Montpellier.)

Hu Z. , and Zhang D. (2001). ‘Country Pasture/Forage Resources Profiles: China.’ (FAO: Rome.) Available at: www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/doc/Counprof/china/china1.htm (accessed 21 December 2009).

Huang Y. (1996). ‘Inflation and Investment Controls in China: The Political Economy of Central-local Relations During the Reform Era.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)

Liu Y. , Baas S. , and Ni H. (2001). ‘Strengthening Pastoral institution in North-West China Pastoral Area to Access Improved Extension Services for Risk Management and Poverty Alleviation.’ Study Report FAO/MOA/CIAD. (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization: Rome.)

Long R. J., Ding L. M., Shang Z. H., Guo X. H. (2008) The yak grazing system on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau and its status. The Rangeland Journal 30, 241–246.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | (accessed 31 May 2010).

Ren J. Z., Hu Z. Z., Zhao J., Zhang D. G., Hou F. J., Lin H. L., Mu X. D. (2008) A grassland classification system and its application in China. The Rangeland Journal 30, 199–210.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | (accessed 21 December 2009). [In Chinese]

Waldron S. (2003). ‘State Sector Reform in China: in the Diverging Path of Agriculture.’ (The University of Queensland: Brisbane.) Available at: www.nrsm.uq.edu.au/agecon/Pub/research/ChinaP/Chinaindex.htm (accessed 29 December 2009).

Williams A. , Wang M. P. , and Zhang M. (2009). Land tenure arrangements, property rights and institutional arrangements in the cycle of rangeland degradation and recovery. In: ‘Rangeland Degradation and Recovery in China’s Pastoral Lands’. (Eds V. Squires, X. Lu, Q. Lu, T. Wang and Y. Yang.) pp. 219–234. (CABI Publishing: Oxford.)

Williams D. M. (2002). ‘Beyond Great Walls: Environment, Identity, and Development on the Chinese Grasslands of Inner Mongolia.’ (Stanford University Press: Stanford.)

World Bank (2001). China – air, land, and water: environmental priorities for a new millennium. Available at: www.worldbank.org (accessed 29 December 2009).

Wu N. , and Richards C. (1999). The privatization process of rangeland and its impacts on the pastoral dynamics in the Hindu-Kush Himalayas: the case of western Sichuan, China. In: ‘People and Rangelands: Building the Future. Proceedings VIth International Rangeland Congress’. Townsville, Qld. (Eds D. Eldridge and D. Freudenberger.) pp. 14–21. (VI International Congress, Inc.: Aitkenvale.)

Yang Y. (1997). Utilise the co-operative system to push agro-industrialisation/integration. People’s Daily September 8, 1997.

Yeh E. T. (2004). ‘Property Relations in Tibet since Decollectivisation and the Question of Fuzziness, Conservation and Society.’ (SAGE Publications: London.)

Zhang M. D., Borjigin E., Zhang H. (2007) Mongolian nomadic culture and ecological culture: on the ecological reconstruction in the agro-pastoral mosaic zone in northern China. Ecological Economics 62, 19–26.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1