Abstract
Two grassland management patterns, multi-household and single-household, have developed in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China since grasslands came under household control. In the multi-household management pattern (MMP), grassland is jointly managed by two or more households without fences between individual household pastures. The single-household management pattern (SMP) refers to a system in which grassland is separately managed by an individual household with fences separating these pastures from those of other households. This paper compares the benefits of the two management patterns using a field investigation and a social survey. We found that the MMP has greater economic benefits compared with the SMP because multi-household cooperation was more likely to reduce production costs and so reduce resource expenditures. Furthermore, the social benefits from MMP collaboration were also important. The results also indicated that the SMP was more likely to cause grassland degradation. In conclusion, the comprehensive benefits created under the MMP were greater as a result of social learning in this coupled human and natural ecosystem. The MMP has important policy implications for conservation and development initiatives in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and other similar areas.
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Acknowledgments
This work was funded by the Ford Foundation (1085-0629) “Grassland management research based on livelihood of herders: A case study from the key water supplement area (Maqu) to Yellow river.” The research of two co-authors, Jing Sun and Wan-Fang Xiong, was also jointly supported by the Hui-Chun Chin and Tsung-Dao Lee Chinese Undergraduate Research Endowment (CURE).
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Jian-Jun Cao and You-Cai Xiong are the first co-authors.
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Cao, JJ., Xiong, YC., Sun, J. et al. Differential Benefits of Multi- and Single-Household Grassland Management Patterns in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China. Hum Ecol 39, 217–227 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-011-9384-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-011-9384-0