Abstract:

With the development of human understanding of the multi-functionality of grassland， coupled with the increasing demand for grassland ecological services， animal production and pastoral living， it is necessary to update the concept of grassland management， develop higher level livestock grazing and feeding technology based on multidisciplinary theories， and establish a more effective grassland grazing management paradigm. This study considers both the background and characteristics of the grassland resources and modern multi-dimensional social demands， and develops the concept of precise grassland grazing management which encompasses the versatility and stability of the grassland ecosystem and sustainability as the goal and the use of grassland science， animal science， ecology and other multi-disciplinary theories， based on the habitat conditions， especially the vegetation characteristics， livestock classes and their requirements， and livestock-vegetation interactions. Through multi-dimensional， effective and directional regulation of the livestock grazing process， the grassland management and utilization paradigm of synergistic balance between production and ecological functions can be finally realized. Also， the concepts and connotations of precise grazing and its relevant theoretical bases are systematically explained， including the plant compensatory growth mechanism， the intermediate disturbance hypothesis， the theory of diversifying grazing livestock， mechanisms of plant-animal interactions， nutrition regulation principles and versatility synergy. These concepts form a scientific basis for the regulation of grazing pressure and livestock assembly. In conjunction with this coverage， the key points in precision grazing are reviewed， such as dynamic optimal stocking rate （threshold）， mixed grazing （species and proportion）， remote sensing information options （satellite， unmanned aerial vehicle monitoring， large scale data processing） and other related supporting technologies. Finally， the authors sum up the concept of grassland multifunctionality as a goal of “combining productive function and ecological service in a win-win manner”， so providing a precise grazing management paradigm. This approach provides a principle for the integration of natural grassland grazing， grassland grazing with supplementary feeding， and drylot feeding， reflecting region-wide whole industry regulation of livestock grazing pressure/assembly and provision for animal nutrition， while aiming for grassland grazing systems to achieve an overall “livestock-vegetation balance”. Such a system will generate high quality animal products and sustainable ecological services. Precise grazing management of grassland is advanced， practical and extensive， and therefore is a desirable choice for future grassland management with great potential and prospect.

Key words: livestock, grassland, multifunctionality, stocking rate, precise grazing management