Spatio-temporal analysis of the alpine grassland carrying capacity in Qinghai Province considering a supply-consumption relationship

doi:10.11686/cyxb2022192

Abstract

Abstract:

Qinghai Province is an important part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. To achieve the sustainable use of grassland resources in this region， it is important to explore the local grass-livestock balance and determine the spatial and temporal trends in the carrying capacity of its grassland ecosystem. In this study， we focused on animal husbandry in Qinghai Province， and combined remote sensing image data with livestock statistics to analyze the carrying state of grassland ecosystems in this province. It was found that： 1） According to the statistical yearbook provided by the Qinghai Provincial Bureau of Statistics， the number of grazing livestock in Qinghai Province increased by 25.35% between 2005 and 2020. In terms of livestock structure， Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture are dominated by yak breeding， while Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture， Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Haidong City are dominated by sheep breeding. 2） The consumption of grassland resources in Qinghai Province increased by 13.21% over 16 years， showing an overall increasing trend with differences among administrative regions. 3） The number of prefectures with severe overloading of livestock in Qinghai Province dropped to fewer than three in 2010 for the first time， and the best overall grass-livestock balance was in 2013. In general， the animal-grazing pressure has decreased over time. Sorted by region， Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture showed the most obvious increase in carrying pressure， and Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture showed the most obvious decrease in animal-grazing pressure. The results showed that the number of grazing livestock in Qinghai Province has increased between 2005 and 2020， but there has been a tendency for the grazing pressure to ease， with each administrative region showing some variability in livestock structure and changes in grazing pressure. This highlights the importance of adapting measures to local conditions. These results provide a scientific basis for the ecological management of alpine grasslands and the development of the livestock industry in Qinghai Province.

Key words: balance of grass and livestock, grassland carrying state, animal grazing pressure, grassland resource consumption, grassland resource supply

Jie GAO, Xin-quan ZHAO, Wen-ting LIU, Xiao-xia YANG, Chun-ping ZHANG, Yang YU, Quan CAO, Yu-zhen LIU, Xue ZHANG, Quan-min DONG. Spatio-temporal analysis of the alpine grassland carrying capacity in Qinghai Province considering a supply-consumption relationship[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2023, 32(5): 1-12.

Figures/Tables 9

Fig.1 Distribution of land use types in Qinghai Province in 2020

Table 1 Conversion coefficient of standard sheep unit in Qinghai Province

牲畜类型

Livestock type

绵羊Sheep

藏羊

Tibetan sheep

牦牛Yak

马Horse

折算系数Conversion coefficient

Table 2 Classification of grassland carrying state

草地承载状态指数GCSI	<0.6	0.6~0.8	0.8~1.0	1.0~1.2	1.2~1.4	>1.4
草地承载状态GCS	富富有余Rich	盈余Surplus	平衡有余Balance	临界超载Critical overload	超载Overload	严重超载Severe overload

Fig.2 Spatial distribution and variation trend of NSSU in Qinghai Province

Fig.3 The relationship between annual precipitation and ANPP in Qinghai Province

Fig.4 Distribution of grassland supply and consumption in Qinghai Province

Fig.5 Trend of SNPP， CNPP and GCSI in prefecture-level administrative regions of Qinghai Province from 2005 to 2020

Fig.6 Spatial distribution of grassland carrying state in Qinghai Province in different years

Fig.7 The quantity trend of different grassland carrying state in Qinghai Province from 2005 to 2020

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