Evaluation of the Effects of Implementing Degraded Grassland Ecosystem Restoration Technology: A Case Study on Technology for Returning Grazing Land to Grassland

doi:10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2017.04.007

Abstract

Abstract: Restoring degraded grassland ecosystems is of great significance for the sustainable development of grassland ecological service functions and the sustainable and healthy development of regional economies and societies. Returning grazing land to grassland technology (RGLGT) is an important strategic technology for restoring degraded grassland ecosystems and achieving the sustainable development of the society and economy of pastoral areas in China. Researching the comprehensive evaluation system of the effects of RGLGT has an important significance for evaluating and adjusting national ecological policy. Based on collecting sample surveys from 221 farmers in 16 villages of 4 towns of Yanchi County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in 2017, a model for evaluating the effects of implementing RGLGT was developed. The model included the characteristics of the technology, the ecological and social benefits of the technology, and the sustainability and economic benefits of the technology, it was used to complete a comprehensive effects evaluation of implementing RGLGT in Yanchi County that was based on use of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The results showed that the comprehensive effect of implementing RGLGT is good overall and had a score of 0.5946. In terms of specific effects ranked from high to low, these were the ecological and social benefits of the technology, the economic benefits, the sustainability and the characteristics themselves. The implementation of RGLGT has resulted in good ecological and social benefits and economic benefits, but sustainability and characteristics of the technology are weak.

Key words: degraded grassland ecosystem, farming and grazing household, implementation effect evaluation, RGLGT

ZHOU Shengqiang, ZHAO Kai. Evaluation of the Effects of Implementing Degraded Grassland Ecosystem Restoration Technology: A Case Study on Technology for Returning Grazing Land to Grassland[J]. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2017, 8(4): 359-368.

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