'Three-grassland' model heals Qinghai ecosystems

Herder help

For Lajia, a 43-year-old herder from Qinghai's Madoi county, the impact is visible on both the grassland and on his household income.

Lajia has spent years working as an ecological ranger in the Yellow River source area of the national park, helping protect the region as it shifted toward a greener development model.

He said grazing was once poorly managed. There was little scientific zoning of pastures, no systematic rotational grazing or seasonal grazing bans, and limited access to stored forage. Many herders depended almost entirely on natural grassland and sought to increase their incomes simply by raising more livestock.

"In the past, we did not understand scientific grazing," Lajia said. "Our cattle and sheep depended completely on natural grassland, and we grazed them on the same pastures throughout the year. The grassland had no time to rest and recover."

As grazing pressure increased, vegetation deteriorated. Sandy patches and bare ground expanded, while forage yields declined. Heavy snow or drought often left livestock without enough feed, causing weight loss and sometimes death in the herd, he said.

The result was a cycle in which degraded grassland reduced livestock productivity, low productivity limited herders' incomes, and the need to maintain larger herds placed even greater pressure on the ecosystem.

At the time, Lajia's family raised just over 100 sheep. Losses were high, production was inefficient and household income remained low.

The introduction of the coordinated grassland model changed the way he managed his animals.

Pastures were divided according to their ecological and production functions. Protected grassland was allowed to recover, while rotational grazing and seasonal grazing bans were introduced in designated grazing areas. Herders also received guidance on planting and storing cultivated forage for the cold season.

"The current approach is much more scientific and much better for local people," Lajia said. "It is completely different from the past.

"Protected and grazing grasslands are now clearly divided, and rest grazing and rotational grazing are strictly implemented. Degraded pastures have time to recover, while we are also taught how to grow and store forage. We no longer have to rely entirely on the weather," he said.