Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
The Rangeland Journal The Rangeland Journal Society
Journal of the Australian Rangeland Society
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > RJ > RJ08061
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 32(2)

Spatial and temporal pattern of alpine grassland condition and its response to human activities in Northern Tibet, China

Q. Z. Gao A B , Y. F. Wan A B , Y. Li A B , X. B. Qin A B , W. Jiangcun C and H. M. Xu D E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, People’s Republic of China.

B Key Laboratory for Agro-Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100081, People’s Republic of China.

C Nagqu Grassland Station, Nagqu Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau, Nagqu 852100, Tibet Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China.

D National Climate Centre, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, People’s Republic of China.

E Corresponding author. Email: xuhm@cma.gov.cn

The Rangeland Journal 32(2) 165-173 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ08061
Submitted: 5 November 2008  Accepted: 11 February 2010   Published: 30 June 2010

Abstract

The trend in condition of alpine grasslands from 1981 to 2004 in different topographic regions and with different intensities of human activity in Northern Tibet was analysed by using remote sensing data and geographic information system techniques. The results of this study showed that the condition of the alpine grasslands in 2004 varied throughout Northern Tibet. The changes in condition over this period of most of the alpine grasslands (76.7%) were without any significant trend, whereas a larger portion of the remaining area showed significant recovery then underwent significant degradation. Where significant degradation did occur it was mostly on the steeper slopes whereas significant recovery was mostly on the flatter areas (<1° slope). As a result of strong solar radiation, high temperature, drying effects and more grazing activities, alpine grasslands on the sunny slopes had a greater potential for degradation. The special geographic location of Northern Tibet (with an average elevation of 4500 m.a.s.l.) means that alpine grasslands are mostly confined to an elevation ranging from 4500 to 5500 m, where both human and grazing activities were mostly migratory from 1981 to 2004. As a result, by far the majority of the alpine grasslands (90.4%) had either no significant degradation or some or significant recovery between 1981 and 2004. A greater proportion of alpine grasslands at high elevations (above 5000 m) had a significant trend of degradation than at lower elevations. The negative impact of residential areas on alpine grassland condition was smaller than that of roads.

Additional keywords: grassland degradation index (GDI), remote sensing and GIS, topography, trend coefficient.


Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the GLCF (Global Land Cover Facility, University of Maryland) for providing the AVHRR-NDVI Data and the KLRSDA (the Key Laboratory of Resource Remote Sensing and Digital Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture) for supplying the MODIS-NDVI Data, and the CMA (China Meteorological Administration) for sponsoring the meteorological data. We gratefully acknowledge financial support from National Natural Science Foundation of China (30800142, 40775062), the new technology project of CMA (CMATG2009MS11), the National Key Project of Scientific and Technical Supporting Program of China (No. 2007BAC03A06) and a cooperative project with the Nagqu Grassland Station and the Institute of Agricultural Environment and Sustainable Development in agriculture. We thank Dr ‘Wal’ Whalley for his conscientious revision of the English presentation, and also thank the editors and reviewers for critical comments on the manuscript.


References


AVHRR-NDVI (2007). Global Land Cover Facility – Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS). Available at: http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/data/gimms/ (accessed 16 April 2007).

Bénié G. B., Kaboré S. S., Goïta K., Courel M. F. (2005) Remote sensing-based spatio-temporal modeling to predict biomass in Sahelian grazing ecosystem. Ecological Modelling 184, 341–354.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Christensen L., Coughenour M. B., Ellis J. E., Chen Z. Z. (2004) Vulnerability of the Asian typical steppe to grazing and climate change. Climatic Change 63, 351–368.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Gao Q. Z. , Jiangcun W. , Li Y. , and Wan Y. F. (2006a). ‘Remote Sensing Monitoring of Grassland Degradation and Eco-functional Regionalization in Northern Tibet.’ (Meteorological Press: Beijing.) [In Chinese]

Gao Q. Z., Li Y., Lin E. D., Jiangcun W., Wan Y. F., Xiong W., Wang B. S., Li W. F. (2005) Temporal and spatial distribution of grassland degradation in Northern Tibet. Acta Geographica Sinica [In Chinese] 60(6), 965–973. open url image1

Gao Q. Z., Li Y., Wan Y. F., Lin E. D., Xiong W., Jiangcun W., Wang B. S., Li W. F. (2006b) Grassland degradation in northern Tibet: based on remote sensing data. Journal of Geographical Sciences 16(2), 165–173.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Gao Q. Z., Li Y., Wan Y. F., Jiangcun W., Qin X. B., Wang B. S. (2009) Significant achievements in protection and restoration of Alpine Grassland Ecosystem in Northern Tibet, China. Restoration Ecology 17(3), 320–323.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Gao Q. Z., Li Y., Wan Y. F., Li Y., Lin E. D., Yang Sheng K. W. P., Jiangcun W., Wang B. S., Li W. F. (2007) Trends of grassland net primary productivity NPP and its response to human activity spatiotemporal distribution in Northern Tibet: A study with CASA model. Acta Ecologica Sinica [In Chinese] 27(11), 4612–4619. open url image1

General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (2004) ‘National Standards of the People’s Republic of China: Parameters for Degradation, Desertification and Salinization of Rangelands.’ (Standards Press of China: Beijing.) [In Chinese]

GERI and AHBNT (Gansu Grassland Ecological Research Institute and Animal Husbandry Bureau of Naqu Prefecture of Tibet) (1991). ‘Grassland Resources and Animal Production in the Naqu Region of Tibet.’ (Gansu Science and Technology Press: Lanzhou.) [In Chinese]

Guo Z. G., Long R. J., Fu J. N., Qing B. W., Yu Y. K. (2007) Effect of highway construction on plant diversity of grassland communities in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The Rangeland Journal 29, 161–167.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Kawamura K., Akiyama T., Yokota H., Tsutsumi M., Yasud T., Watanabe O., Wang S. (2005) Quantifying grazing intensities using geographic information systems and satellite remote sensing in the Xilingol steppe region, Inner Mongolia, China. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 107, 83–93.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Li M. S. (2000) Rational exploitation of grassland resources in the Northern Xizang Plateau. Journal of Natural Resources [In Chinese] 15(4), 335–339. open url image1

Liu S. Z. , Zhou L. , Qiu C. S. , Zhang J. P. , Fang Y. P. , and Gao W. S. (1999). ‘Studies on Grassland Degradation and Desertification of Naqu Prefecture in Tibet Autonomous Region.’ (Tibet People’s Press: Lasha.) [In Chinese]

Liu X. S. , Ma Y. C. , Laba and Yu Z. S. (2003). ‘Climatic Regionalization of the Animal Husbandry of Naqu Region.’ (Meteorological Press: Beijing.) [In Chinese]

Nagqu Statistical Bureau (2001). ‘The Corpus of Statistical Data of Nagqu Prefecture in Tibet Autonomous Region (1958–2000).’ (Tibet Statistical Press: Lasha.) [In Chinese]

Nagqu Statistical Bureau (2007). ‘The Corpus of Statistical Data of Nagqu Prefecture in Tibet Autonomous Region (1980–2006).’ (Tibet Statistical Press: Lasha.) [In Chinese]

Purevdorj Ts., Tateishi R., Ishiyama T., Honda Y. (1998) Relationships between percent vegetation cover and vegetation indices. International Journal of Remote Sensing 19(18), 3519–3535.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

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, 199–209.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Sheng W. P., Gao Q. Z., Li Y., Wan Y. F., Yang K. (2008) Characteristic of climate change in Northern Tibet and it impact. Plateau Meteorology [In Chinese] 27(2), 1–6. open url image1

Wan Y. F., Gao Q. Z., Lin E. D., Li Y., Qin X. B., Jiangcun W., Wang B. S., Li W. F. (2006) Investigation of grassland growth and soil nutrient situation in Naqu prefecture of Tibet. Pratacultural Science [In Chinese] 23(5), 7–11.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Wang X. H., Zheng D., Shen Y. C. (2008) Land use change and its driving forces on the Tibetan Plateau during 1990–2000. Catena 72, 56–66.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Wang Y. J., Wei X. H., Yang P. (2005) Effects of over-grazing on vegetation degradation of Kobresia pygmaea meadow in Naqu, Tibet. Journal of Lanzhou University [Natural Science] 41(1), 32–38. open url image1

Wessels K. J., Princea S. D., Malherbe J., Small J., Frost P. E., VanZyl D. (2007) Can human-induced land degradation be distinguished from the effects of rainfall variability? A case study in South Africa. Journal of Arid Environments 68, 271–297.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Yang K., Gao Q. Z., Li Y., Lin E. D., Sheng W. P., Jiangcun W., Wang B. S., Li W. F. (2007) Spatial distribution of grassland degradation and trend in Northern Tibet. Advances in Earth Science [In Chinese] 22(4), 410–416. open url image1

Zeng H., Kong N. N., Li S. J. (2001) Human impacts on landscape structure in Wolong Natural Reserve. Acta Ecologica Sinica [In Chinese] 21(12), 1994–2001. open url image1

Zhang J. G., Liu S. Z., Li H. X., He X. R. (2004) Analysis on the retrogression of the pasture in Naqu prefecture, Tibetan Autonomous Region. Resources Survey and Environment [In Chinese] 25(2), 116–122.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Zhang J. P., Liu S. Z., Zhou L., Fang Y. P. (1998) Soil degradation of main grassland in Naqu area of Tibet. Journal of Soil Erosion and Soil and Water Conservation [In Chinese] 4(3), 6–11. open url image1

Zhang Y. L., Liu L. S., Bai W. Q., Shen Z. X., Yan J. Z., Ding M. J., Li S. C., Zheng D. (2006) Grassland degradation in the source region of the Yellow River. Acta Geographica Sinica [In Chinese] 61(1), 3–14. open url image1

Zou X. Y., Li S., Zhang C. L., Dong G. R., Dong Y. X., Yan P. (2002) Desertification and control plan in the Tibet autonomous region of China. Journal of Arid Environments 51, 183–198.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1