Rangeland degradation and restoration management in China

Rangelands of China have for centuries provided forage for livestock but now their role in water, soil, and biodiversity conservation is being recognised by Governments and people. However, much of the rangelands has recently degraded anddesertification is nowawidespread problem.The cause of the degradation is over-grazing andover-cultivation. Climate change is exacerbating theproblem.TheChineseGovernments havebegun to address these severeproblems through policy adjustments and projects. In parallel, some research and development is taking place. There aremajor impediments to addressing the problem; the importance of rangelands to China and its people are generally underestimated, legislative protection is incomplete and often ineffective, little attention is paid to scientific knowledge for development ofmanagement of natural resources, there is insufficient technological support, and Governments are not able to invest sufficiently to effectively restore and develop rangeland natural resources. However, with this background we propose how the problems might be more effectively addressed in the future. Additional keywords: desertification, development, environment, grasslands.