A critical review of socioeconomic and natural factors in ecological degradation on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

Grassland degradation on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau has become one of the most important issues for ecological science and policy-making in China. Even though researchers have explained the process of grassland degradation in some sub-regions, they have failed to reach any consensus on the primary causes and underlying mechanisms, and strategies for restoration. In this article, the potential socioeconomic and natural causes of grassland degradation in this region are critically examined through an extensive literature review, including studies on population growth, overgrazing, socio-cultural transformations and climate change. It is concluded that there is no single primary factor acting alone to cause degradation of grasslands across the entire region. Rather, different major causes and different combinations of factors influencing grassland structure and function likely operate at different spatial and temporal scales. In this context, it becomes critical to analyse various natural, socioeconomic and historical factors in each specific region when choosing amelioration or restoration schemes for an area. It also is important to conduct careful and precisely targeted analysis before applying a single restoration method on a broad-scale to an ecologically and socially complex region.