Welcome to Acta Prataculturae Sinica ! Today is Share:

Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (7): 13-27.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2024306

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Grassland health assessment of alpine grassland in the Yellow River Source Park of Three-Rivers Headwaters National Park

Bing-shu ZHU1,2(), Jiang-wen FAN1(), Hai-yan ZHANG1, Lin HUANG1, Hai-jing TIAN3, Lin WANG3, Shou-xing WANG4, Ming-xin YANG4, Yan-ming GUO1,2   

  1. 1.Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Key Laboratory of Natural Resource Coupling Process and Effects,Ministry of Natural Resources,Beijing 100101,China
    2.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China
    3.Academy of Forestry Inventory and Planning (Grassland Monitoring Center),National Forestry and Grassland Administration,Beijing 100714,China
    4.Xining Center of Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey,China Geological Survey,Xining 810000,China
  • Received:2024-07-31 Revised:2024-09-30 Online:2025-07-20 Published:2025-05-12
  • Contact: Jiang-wen FAN

Abstract:

Grassland health is a key indicator of the integrity, stability, and sustainability of grassland ecosystems. In recent years, conservation efforts in the Yellow River Source Park of Three-Rivers Headwaters National Park have restored degraded grasslands. However, a systematic assessment of the current grassland health status is still lacking. This study draws on ecosystem health theory to clarify the concept of grassland health. Based on the characteristics of alpine grasslands, and application of expert experience, a comprehensive grassland health index (GHI) was developed to reflect the overall grassland health status. The GHI includes indicators such as vegetation community, land surface characteristics, biodiversity, and forage performance. The health status and grades of alpine grasslands in the Yellow River Source Park in 2022 were assessed by zone, type, and class. The results show that: 1) Alpine steppe and alpine meadow differ in their vegetation community characteristic index (VCI), land surface characteristic index (LCI), biodiversity index (BDI), and forage production performance index (FPI), with the most significant difference observed in the BDI. 2) The overall GHI (64.98) of the Yellow River Source Park indicates a sub-healthy status, with the alpine steppe GHI (66.70) slightly higher than the alpine meadow GHI (62.30). The Poaannua alpine steppe has significant differences from other alpine steppe types, and there are also significant differences in GHI among the types of alpine meadow. 3) From the functional zoning perspective, the GHI of the core protected area (59.30) is lower than that of the general controlled area (69.50), likely due to fragile ecological conditions, historical long-term overgrazing, and the fact that newly designated core protected areas have yet to fully recover. This study provides a new methodological perspective for the ecological protection and future improvement of the conservation status of the Three-Rivers Headwaters National Park and provides a scientific criterion for improving the spatial layout of the natural reserve system.

Key words: health assessment, grassland healthy index, ideal reference, alpine grassland, Three-Rivers Headwaters National Park