Informal Institutions and Herders’ Grazing Intensity Reduction Behavior: Evidence from Pastoral Areas in China

Overgrazing is the key factor that has exacerbated grassland degradation in China’s pastoral regions. Herder’s grazing-based livestock production behavior becomes important to grassland conservation. Several formal environmental institutions and policies exist to improve grassland degradation; however, there remain contradicting conclusions regarding the contribution of these policies. Informal institutions become major instruments that might encourage herder’s behavior on overgrazing. Using village rules and conventions (VRC) as a proxy for informal institutions, the article attempts to scrutinize whether the VRC emerge to respond to herders’ willingness to reduce grazing intensity for grassland conservation and elicit factors affecting their reduction behavior using a Double-Hurdle model. Based on a survey of 193 respondents in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Autonomous regions of China, the empirical results provide evidence that VRC is effective in reducing herders’ grazing intensity. In detail, the VRC in written form and an unchanging context within five years could significantly improve herders’ willingness to reduce grazing intensity. Herders who consider the VRC as an important impact to their livestock production observe an increased reduction degree of grazing intensity. Additionally, variables referring to herder’s education and religious belief play a significant role in the reduction degree of grazing intensity. Our findings highlight the importance of VRC in controlling herders’ overgrazing behavior.