Improving ecological conservation and restoration through payment for ecosystem services in Northeastern Tibetan Plateau, China

To protect biodiversity, restore ecosystems and improve the livelihoods of indigenous herders, a payment for ecosystem services program has been implemented in the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau. We monitored and assessed its effectiveness and analysed the factors that may contribute to the success or failure of the program. By comparing ecosystem changes between project and non-project regions, we found that the increased area of grassland and wetland, the proportion of restored grassland, and the enhanced net primary production and forage yields were higher in project regions, which indicated that the majority of restoration measures are effective at the local scale. However, the soil erosion modulus and ecosystem soil conservation service were ineffective owing to unrecovered root systems and increased precipitation. The results of interviews with herdsmen demonstrated a slight increase in annual net income for herder households, especially for eco-immigrants compensated by the program. However, it was difficult to reduce overgrazing dramatically because eco-immigrants mainly included elderly herders and herders with less livestock. Therefore, the eco-immigrants and their livelihoods need to be reconsidered in targeting for subsequent programs. Furthermore, this study reinforced the need to apply multiple sources of funds and measurements to benefit ecological conservation in alpine regions.