The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau covers an area of about 2.5 million km2. 52% of the Plateau’s land area is grassland. These grasslands provide ecosystem services of national, regional and global importance. Driven by a combination of climate change impacts and unsustainable management practices, half of the Plateau’s grasslands are estimated to be degraded or desertified. The Plateau’s grasslands also provide the livelihood basis for 5 million pastoralists, many of whom live in poverty. Grassland degradation – due either to unsustainable management practices or to the impacts of climate change – undermines the basis of pastoral economies. Based on a review mostly of the Chinese language literature, this paper describes observed and predicted climate change, and impacts of both climate change and anthropogenic factors on grasslands. It ends with suggestions for future policy related research
Publication year
2008
Authors
Language
English
Geographic
China
