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Effects of Grazing Exclusion on Biomass Growth and Species Diversity among Various Grassland Types of the Tibetan Plateau

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  • Suizi Wang

    (Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Jiangwen Fan

    (Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China)

  • Yuzhe Li

    (Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China)

  • Lin Huang

    (Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China)

Abstract

Livestock grazing is an important determinant of species diversity and plant growth. Overgrazing is identified as one of the most important disturbances resulting in grassland degradation. Although many restoration practices have been implemented, grazing exclusion is one of the most effective methods to restore degraded grasslands. We explored the impact of five years of grazing exclusion on plant growth and species diversity in four types of grasslands: temperate steppe (TS), swamp meadow (SM), alpine steppe (AS), and alpine meadow (AM). Our results showed that grazing exclusion increased plant height, coverage, biomass, and species diversity in all four grasslands. The aboveground biomass in AM (180.8%), TS (117.3%), and SW (105.9%) increased significantly more than AS (10.1%). Grazing exclusion in AM had the greatest effect on proportion of palatable species, and the increase in palatable species in AM was higher than that of the other grassland types significantly. Species diversity increased significantly within the enclosure in SM (23.9%) and AM (20.8%). Our results indicate that grazing exclusion is an effective management strategy to restore degraded grasslands and it works best in alpine meadow. This study contributes to the growing theoretical basis for grassland management strategies and has a significant effect on sustainable development for grassland resources and pastoral areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Suizi Wang & Jiangwen Fan & Yuzhe Li & Lin Huang, 2019. "Effects of Grazing Exclusion on Biomass Growth and Species Diversity among Various Grassland Types of the Tibetan Plateau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-13, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:6:p:1705-:d:215869
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Qingqing Ma & Linrong Chai & Fujiang Hou & Shenghua Chang & Yushou Ma & Atsushi Tsunekawa & Yunxiang Cheng, 2019. "Quantifying Grazing Intensity Using Remote Sensing in Alpine Meadows on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-14, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mounir Louhaichi & Mouldi Gamoun & Farah Ben Salem & Azaiez Ouled Belgacem, 2021. "Rangeland Biodiversity and Climate Variability: Supporting the Need for Flexible Grazing Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-16, June.
    2. Moses Fayiah & ShiKui Dong & Sphiwe Wezzie Khomera & Syed Aziz Ur Rehman & Mingyue Yang & Jiannan Xiao, 2020. "Status and Challenges of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau’s Grasslands: An Analysis of Causes, Mitigation Measures, and Way Forward," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-21, February.
    3. Lixiang Liu & Yongwei Han & Weiwei Liu & Yuemin Liu, 2023. "Plant Community and Soil Properties Regulate Space-Scale Dependence of Species Diversity under Grazing Exclusion and Rest Grazing in the Qilian Mountains of China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-19, October.
    4. Zhilu Sheng & Jiaqiang Du & Bingqing Sun & Jialin Mao & Yangchengsi Zhang & Jing Zhang & Zhaoyan Diao, 2022. "The Role of Plant Functional Diversity in Regulating Soil Organic Carbon Stocks under Different Grazing Intensities in Temperate Grassland, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-13, April.

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