Ecological constraints on and consequences of land use heterogeneity: A case study of the Mongolian Gobi |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Lecturer, Department of Agribusiness and Bioresource Economics, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia;2. Regents Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA;3. Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA;1. PhD candidate, Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, NO-1432 Ås, Norway;3. Professor, Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, NO-1432 Ås, Norway;2. Lecturer, Department of Plant Science and Technology, Tibet Agriculture and Animal Husbandry College, Bayi, Nyingchi, 860000, Tibet Autonomous Region, China.;1. School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China;2. Center for Human–Environment System Sustainability (CHESS), State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (ESPRE), Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China;3. Grassland Research Institute of Chinese Academic of Agricultural Science, Hohhot 010010, China;4. Sino-US Center for Conservation, Energy and Sustainability Science, Hohhot 010021, China |
| |
| Abstract: | Mongolian herders are transhumant and therefore follow a specific land use pattern. To understand their movements through a case study, we mapped and superimposed their seasonal camps on a vegetation map and a digital elevation model. We also questioned them about the reasons justifying the locations of their camps, and how they use the surrounding land. It appears that vegetation quality may play a role only in summer, whereas topography is a key driver during 3 seasons. In winter, herders seek shelter against cold winds in rugged places exposed to the south, while in spring and summer, they seek flat places. In spring, to have a clear view of their newborns and in summer, to allow wind to reduce the insect discomfort. Moreover, most of the livestock species stay within a certain distance of the camps depending on the season, but which never exceeds 5.1 km. This leads to a land use pattern where livestock is restrained to specific areas according to the season. Interestingly, during the growing season, when plants are most sensitive to defoliation, most livestock is concentrated on 30.92% of the site surface. Such information is important for range scientists working on grazing impacts at large scales. |
| |
| Keywords: | Grazing impact Pasture condition Sampling strategy Topography Transhumance |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
