Formation Reasons and Restoration Strategy of the Alpine Degraded Grassland in Northwest of Sichuan

Key words: 
• Northwest of Sichuan /
• Alpine grassland /
• Degradation /
• Ecological restoration

Abstract: The alpine grassland in northwest of Sichuan is an important ecological barrier to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River and plays an irreplaceable role in conserving water and soil,nursing biodiversity,and regulating regional climate. The serious degradation of the alpine grassland in this region is now endangering the sustainable utilization of grassland resources and the plateau ecological environment security. This paper deals with the formation reason of the alpine degraded grassland by use of the research achievements both at home and abroad. It is found that the fragile ecological environment is the intrinsic factor,which has caused the alpine grassland to degrade in northwest of Sichuan. Moreover,the unreasonable utilization and disturbance (e. g., reclamation of grassland, tourism development,and overgrazing) are the major driving force for the grassland degradation. Additionally,the global warming,grassland rodents and insects and grassland mismanagement accelerate the degradation of the alpine grassland. Therefore,it is very important to restore the alpine degraded grassland on the basis of these formation reasons. Moreover,using scientific methods (e. g.,the development of livestock production according to carrying capacity,increase of marketing rate of livestock,and establishment of artificial fence) will benefit the restoration of alpine grassland.