Ecological management of pastoral systems

Author: Wang Shiping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: This book is a reference for researchers, educators, and grassland animal husbandry production technicians in the fields of grassland and plant ecology, grassland management, and livestock nutrition. Based on nearly a decade of comprehensive grazing experiments conducted by the Inner Mongolia Grassland Ecosystem Research Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the book comprehensively elaborates on theoretical and practical issues in the natural grassland plant-livestock grazing ecosystem. The research findings are directly or indirectly relevant to environmental conservationists and grassland animal husbandry producers. The book consists of 5 parts and 15 chapters, covering various aspects such as the impact of different grazing systems on grassland plant community structure, productivity, and livestock production performance, as well as the interactions between plants and livestock, the nutritional needs of grazing livestock, the decision-making process for appropriate grazing rates, and the bio-economic principles of sustainable grassland animal husbandry. It elucidates the grazing succession patterns and the effects of grazing on plant diversity and its mechanisms in typical grasslands of Inner Mongolia, providing a theoretical foundation for sustainable grassland ecosystem management. Through the analysis of livestock production performance in response to grazing systems, appropriate grazing management measures are identified, and three major bio-economic principles for the sustainable development of grassland animal husbandry are proposed, offering management strategies for the rational utilization of grassland resources, the prevention of grassland degradation, and the improvement of degraded grasslands.