<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Desertification of the Eurasian steppe biome brings serious problems to the natural environment, socio-economy and people's lives on both local and global scales. In the present study, we focused on the field/pasture-boundary in geographical land-use patterns, distributed in the Typical steppe zone (<italic>Stipa krylovii/Cleistogenes squarrosa/Leymus chinensis</italic>-dominant steppe) of Inner Mongolia, China, and assessed landscape structure and fragility through the interdisciplinary research. A study site was established in Wufuhao Settlement (41°11'42"N, 111°34'24"E; 1.2kmx2.0km; ca. 1615m a.s.l.), and field surveys consisting of vegetation mapping and sociological censuses were carried out during the 2002-2007 period. The results are summarized as follows: (1) a gently undulating hilly-landform stretched out, (2) since a mass immigration in the 1910's, natural vegetation has been changed into fields (63.9% of the study site) and <italic>Populus/Ulmus</italic>-plantations (8.6%), (3) 139 vascular plant species were detected, including crops, weeds and halophilous plants, and (4) five types of herbaceous plant communities were distinguished by TWINSPAN, coupled with the difference in micro-scale landforms, cultivation and grazing by livestock. Consequently, in spite of approaches for the environmental restoration, soil erosion by water-flows and winds, salinization, and the degradation of the remaining grassland vegetation, most of which having been caused by unsustainable field/stock-farming management, resulted in an irreversible destruction of the indigenous steppe landscape.</p></abstract>

Desertification of the Eurasian steppe biome brings serious problems to the natural environment, socio-economy and people's lives on both local and global scales. In the present study, we focused on the field/pasture-boundary in geographical land-use patterns, distributed in the Typical steppe zone (Stipa krylovii/Cleistogenes squarrosa/Leymus chinensis-dominant steppe) of Inner Mongolia, China, and assessed landscape structure and fragility through the interdisciplinary research. A study site was established in Wufuhao Settlement (41°11'42"N, 111°34'24"E; 1.2kmx2.0km; ca. 1615m a.s.l.), and field surveys consisting of vegetation mapping and sociological censuses were carried out during the 2002-2007 period. The results are summarized as follows: (1) a gently undulating hilly-landform stretched out, (2) since a mass immigration in the 1910's, natural vegetation has been changed into fields (63.9% of the study site) and Populus/Ulmus-plantations (8.6%), (3) 139 vascular plant species were detected, including crops, weeds and halophilous plants, and (4) five types of herbaceous plant communities were distinguished by TWINSPAN, coupled with the difference in micro-scale landforms, cultivation and grazing by livestock. Consequently, in spite of approaches for the environmental restoration, soil erosion by water-flows and winds, salinization, and the degradation of the remaining grassland vegetation, most of which having been caused by unsustainable field/stock-farming management, resulted in an irreversible destruction of the indigenous steppe landscape.

Desertification of the Typical Steppe Landscape Under Field/Stock-Farming Management: An Assessment in Wufuhao Settlement, Central Inner Mongolia

Department of Regional Management, Tohoku Gakuin University, Japan

Miyagi Environmental Preservation Institute Co., Ltd., Japan

Center for Mongolian Studies, Inner Mongolia University, China

College of Geographical Science, Inner Mongolia Normal University, China

Journal of Landscape Ecology

Desertification of the Eurasian steppe biome brings serious problems to the natural environment, socio-economy and people's lives on both local and global...

Desertification of the Typical Steppe Landscape Under Field/Stock-Farming Management: An Assessment in Wufuhao Settlement, Central Inner Mongolia

Published Online: Aug 08, 2012

Page range: 30 - 41

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10285-012-0032-1

Keywords
desertification, field/pasture-boundary, Inner Mongolia, land-use management, micro-scale landform

This content is open access.

Desertification of the Typical Steppe Landscape Under Field/Stock-Farming Management: An Assessment in Wufuhao Settlement, Central Inner Mongolia

Published Online: Aug 08, 2012

Page range: 30 - 41

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10285-012-0032-1

Keywordsdesertification, field/pasture-boundary, Inner Mongolia, land-use management, micro-scale landform

This content is open access.

Keywords
desertification, field/pasture-boundary, Inner Mongolia, land-use management, micro-scale landform