Historic experience from American public rangeland management policies

doi:10.11686/cyxb2019497

Abstract

Abstract: After China has halted grassland degradation, it will be very important to rapidly improve current grassland management policies, especially those related to determining the grassland-livestock balance and payments for ecosystem services, and to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) for ecological conservation and improvement of herders’ well-being. Over the past 90 years, the United States has created and adjusted its public rangeland management systems and the US experience provides much valuable information for the reform of grassland management policies in China. The lessons from American public management suggest that multiple use and ecosystem service of grassland are two key concepts for sustainable management of grassland. These concepts should be firmly confirmed by social consensus, through the legal system, and in administrative management. Furthermore, public ownership rights form the legal premise for establishing multiple ecosystem services of grassland. The other stakeholder industries beyond animal husbandry provide the economic foundation to realize multifunctional grassland systems. Precise and responsive management by administrative agencies will guarantee the balance between livestock production and ecological conservation. The public participation of multiple stakeholders is the engine to drive forward the reform of grassland management systems. Meanwhile, the twists and turns of public rangeland management evolution in the United States suggest that common elements in the historic development of grassland management policy include: failure and adjustment of ecological policies, the flexibility to reconsider grazing prohibition and supervision intensity, and conflict and compromise between interest groups. All these elements may appear in China’s journey to achieve sustainable grassland management. In the next stage, optimization of grassland property rights, refinement of administrative management, coordination between herders and ecological conservation are the core tasks in the drive to achieve sustainable grassland management in China.

Key words: grassland management policy, grassland-livestock balance, ecosystem services, payments for ecosystem services, policy change

JIANG Xiao-qun, LIN Zhe-yan, SHI Yu, ZHAO Jin-ling, LI Ang. Historic experience from American public rangeland management policies[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2020, 29(11): 151-164.

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