Causes of overgrazing in Inner Mongolian grasslands: Searching for deep leverage points of intervention

The legendary Mongolian Plateau has faced increasing environmental challenges associated with overgrazing, and achieving a sustainability transition for this region needs herders’ participation. However, why herders let grasslands be overgrazed even after property rights were privatized—“the tragedy of privatization”—remains unclear. We aimed to understand the causes overgrazing in Xilingol, Inner Mongolia, sought deep leverage points intervention by examining livestock decision-making processes semi-structured interviews. found following: (1) Herders generally recognized grassland degradation decreased plant diversity vegetation height. (2) Nearly half not satisfied their current quality life, especially terms income, food security, energy clean water. (3) prioritized economic benefits provisioning services did think as an important cause degradation. (4) tended protect own but over-exploited leased grasslands. (5) tried keep high number without being able anticipate climatic fluctuations. (6) government’s Forage-Livestock Balance policy was widely ignored herders. conclude that zeal higher living standards, misperceptions about key drivers degradation, decoupling income from grasslands, inability cope drought, ineffective policies together constitute underlying overgrazing. Future should focus more on including reducing poverty inequality, improving system, reconnecting long-term health livelihoods, developing holistic management strategies integrate science traditional ecological knowledge.