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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (10): 30-47.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2025418

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Livelihood capital and herders’ perception of grassland restoration: An empirical analysis based on the Qilian Mountain pastoral area

Jing JIANG1(), Jin-hua HU1, Gong-cheng HUANG1,2, Xin-ling JIANG1, Yu-bing FAN1(), Zeng TANG1, Hua QIN3   

  1. 1.State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems,Chinese Grass Industry Development Strategy Research Center,College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology,Lanzhou University,Lanzhou 730020,China
    2.School of Economics,Xiamen University,Xiamen 361000,China
    3.School of Public Policy,The Chinese University of Hong Kong,Shenzhen 518172,China
  • Received:2025-10-17 Revised:2025-12-04 Online:2026-10-20 Published:2026-09-09
  • Contact: Yu-bing FAN

Abstract:

Grassland degradation presents a serious threat to Chinese ecological security and sustainable development. As the direct decision-makers in grassland management, herders’ perception of grassland restoration is crucial to the ecological recovery of degraded grasslands. This study employs the binary Probit model and multi-angle heterogeneity analysis to analyze the impact on herders’ perception of grassland restoration, of various factors under the five dimensions of livelihood capital. The findings indicate that in terms of natural capital, for every additional 666.67 ha of grassland operated by herders, the probability of their having a positive perception of the grassland restoration status decreases by 1.5%. Regarding material capital, for every increase of 100 sheep units in the number of livestock raised by herders, their perception of grassland restoration status declines by 1.4%. With respect to financial capital, for every additional 10000 CNY of ecological compensation and rewards received by herders, their perception of grassland restoration rises by 3.8%. With respect to social capital, for every one-unit increase in the degree of mutual influence among herders, their perception of grassland restoration increases by 2.0%. Furthermore, for every one-unit increase in herders’ environmental awareness, their perception of grassland restoration increases by 3.2%. There are differences in herders’ perception of grassland restoration between the northern and southern slopes of the Qilian Mountains, the effect of the ecological compensation policy is more significant in the northern slope area, while the number of laborers and environmental awareness of herders in the southern slope area have a more positive effect on their perception of grassland restoration. The design of relevant policies should take into account the role and the different influences of various dimensions of livelihood capital on herders’ perception of grassland restoration.

Key words: livelihood capital, degraded grassland restoration, herders’ perception, Qilian Mountains region, Probit model