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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2024, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (6): 47-63.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2023115

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Accounting and assessment of grassland ecological values

Lin HUANG(), Jia-hui LI, Hai-yan ZHANG, Yu-zhe LI, Sui-zi WANG, Jiang-wen FAN()   

  1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China
  • Received:2023-04-11 Revised:2023-10-09 Online:2024-06-20 Published:2024-03-20
  • Contact: Jiang-wen FAN

Abstract:

There are two main objectives when accounting for and assessing grassland ecological values. The first objective is to provide a theoretical basis for appropriate pricing, effective compensation, scientific management, and sustainable development of grassland resources. This allows for ecological benefits to be integrated into economic and social development decisions. The second objective is to provide a scientific method for evaluating the effectiveness of grassland ecological conservation and restoration, which allows for planners to change and influence the behavior and decisions of ecological conservation and restoration through monetization. Based on the theories of ecological economics and ecosystem assessment, we defined the grassland ecological value as the sum of various services, products, and benefits that can be directly provided to humans as determined by the structure and function of the grassland ecosystem. We developed a grassland ecological value assessment index system and determined spatial measurement methods for estimating the quality and value of each indicator. This allowed us to assess grassland ecological value and its dynamic changes in space and time. To estimate and assess the volume and value of grassland, volume estimation and evaluation methods were applied to Hulun Buir in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The results show that the total ecological value of grasslands in the city region was about RMB 262.87 billion yuan·yr-1, which was 2.2 times the city’s gross domestic product in 2020. The value of grassland species conservation accounted for 43% of the total grassland ecological value. The ecological value of the grassland unit area was about 39,100 yuan·ha-1·yr-1. This showed a spatially divergent pattern of gradual decline from west to east. These results highlight the need to understand the function and status of grasslands from the perspective of their ecological value, and to strengthen the scientific protection and rational use of grassland areas.

Key words: grassland ecological value, volume estimation, value assessment, Hulun Buir