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Population and rangelands in Central Tibet: a GIS-Based Approach

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Abstract

This study focuses on the meso-regional pattern of rangeland ecotypes in Central Tibet in relation to population density. Data on rangelands derive from a recent land-cover GIS database of China based on the 1:1,000,000 Land Use Map of China. Specific kinds of grassland and steppe are analyzed in relation to 466 township-level enumeration units selected from China's 1990 census in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. This methodology offers a finer geographic resolution than in all other available research reports, and results in a more detailed understanding of the kinds of rangeland resources available to Central Tibetan communities. Systemic land cover patterns are mapped, and reveal the importance of local interactions between population and rangeland ecotypes. Alpine meadow and alpine steppe predominate above the cultivation limit at approximately 4,200 m. In the densely settled valleys below this limit, dry steppe and scrub grassland predominate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, U.S.A

    Karl E. Ryavec & Howard Veregin

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  1. Karl E. Ryavec
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  2. Howard Veregin
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Ryavec, K.E., Veregin, H. Population and rangelands in Central Tibet: a GIS-Based Approach. GeoJournal 44, 61–72 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006815130932

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006815130932

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