Bai, Keyu

Zhang, Zongwen

English

University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky UKnowledge International Grassland Congress Proceedings XXI International Grassland Congress / VIII International Rangeland Congress Promoting Rangeland Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization through Participatory Approaches in China Keyu Bai Bioversity International Zongwen Zhang Bioversity International Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc  Part of the Plant Sciences Commons, and the Soil Science Commons This document is available at https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/21/20-1/6 The XXI International Grassland Congress / VIII International Rangeland Congress took place in Hohhot, China from June 29 through July 5, 2008. Proceedings edited by Organizing Committee of 2008 IGC/IRC Conference Published by Guangdong People's Publishing House This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Plant and Soil Sciences at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Grassland Congress Proceedings by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact UKnowledge@lsv.uky.edu. 瞯 ]1002　 瞯 　 Multifunctional Grasslands in a Changing World 　 Volume Ⅱ 　Grasslands/Rangelands People and Policies ——— Institutional Innovations for the Conservation of Grasslands/Rangelands BiodiversityPromoting rangeland biodiversity conservation and utilization through participatory approachesin ChinaBai , K eyu1 , 2 , Zhang , Zongwen11 Bioversity International O f f ice f or East A sia , Bei j ing , 100081 ,E‐mail : k .bai＠ cgiar .org , 2 Institute o f A gricultureResources and Regional Planning , Chinese A cademy o f A gricultural Sciences , Bei j ing , 100081Key words : biodiversity conservation , participatory approaches , ChinaIntroduction The natural rangeland in China are important areas for the conservation of biodiversity , with their many distinctivespecies ; there are around ５０００ species of forage plants , of which １ １５０ are grasses and １ １３０ are legumes ( Su Jiakai et al ,１９９５ ) . This paper will introduce the importance of rangeland biodiversity conservation in China , analyze the main limitations ofrangeland biodiversity conservation , and promote best practice model for biodiversity conservation through participatoryapproaches ,and the paper will set out recommendations for biodiversity conservation in China .Why conserve the rangeland biodiversity in China A number of China摧s rangeland ecosystems are recognized as global priorityareas for conservation of biodiversity , as they contain highly distinctive species , ecological processes , and evolutionaryphenomena . Despite their extent and importance , China摧s rangelands are degrading seriously , and the country摧s range managersface many challenges . The main challenges included １) rangelands overgrazed and severely degraded ; ２) medicinal herbs ( suchas Ephedra sp p . and Glycy rrhiz a sp p .) overcorrected and vegetation cover removed ; ３ ) animal and plant resourcesoverexploited and utilized ; ４) unfavorable effects on biodiversity from tourism , mining , reclamation and other human activities ;５ ) low income groups whose livelihoods depend heavily on rangeland production particularly affected . Decisions will have to bemade to reduce the extent of land degradation and loss of biodiversity and to safeguard this vital resource for China摧s futuregenerations .Main limitations of rangeland biodiversity conservation Although some conservation actions have been taken , such as relevantlaw made , grassland protected areas established , more than １０ ,０００ accessions of forage germplasm colleted ( Zhang Jiyu , et al ,２００３ ) , long‐term and medium‐term genebank established , and In situ conservation carried out , there are still some obstaclesfor biodiversity conservation , including １ ) biodiversity conservation mainly depend on the governmental supports , whichresulted in no sustainability for some conservation activities ; ２ ) market forces are the underlying cause of transformation andintensified use of rangeland , rangeland biodiversity conservation are generally not considered as a high priority in nationalresearch programs ; ３) research on linking biodiversity conservation to herb摧s livelihood is only beginning .Promoting participatory approaches and integrating nomad摧s indigenous knowledge Plant genetic resources ( PGR) are largelyconserved in seed bank and field gene‐bank Ex Situ by scientists . In this way to conserve PGR is not only costly but alsodifficulty . Therefore it is reasonable to consider that participatory genetic resources management ( PGRM ) approach throughinvolving local herbs will play an important role in conserving and enhancing rangeland biodiversity . Bioversity Internationalsupported a project entitled �Participatory approaches to PGR conservation and use in Yunnan province of China" since １９９９ ,which can be a good practice for involving the co‐operation of different stakeholders on conservation of biodiversity . The mainresults achieved through this project are １ ) public awareness increased in conserving and utilizing local resources in particularindigenous resources , ２) market value of landrace explored , market demand on landraces benefits biodiversity conservation . Itis helpful to identify new value of indigenous variety and increase public awareness about the value of landrace in order toincrease price of landrace .Recommendations Main recommendations proposed as follow : １ ) developing participatory technology on rangeland conservationto let rangeland biodiversity conservation and sustainable use gained more and more social attention ; ２ ) understanding theeconomic value of biodiversity of rangeland to link the biodiversity conservation to livelihood improvement and benefit the localherbs ; ３) establishing the protected area and conserving the threatened and endangered species , which can be indicators ofenvironmental disturbance ; ４) controlling grazing pressure in moderate intensity to enhance rangeland diversity in long‐term .ReferencesSu Jiakai , Zhang Wenshu , Fu Linqian , １９９５ . ADVANCES IN BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH ——— Proceedings of the FirstNational Symposium on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity . China Science Technology PressZhang Jiyu , Yuan Qinghua , Zhang wenshu , ２００３ . The Advances in Study on Forage Germplasm Resources and Its GeneticDiversity in China . Grassland o f China , Vol ２５ :３ , ５９‐６５ .

Promoting Rangeland Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization through Participatory Approaches in China

https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3829&context=igc

Promoting Rangeland Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization through Participatory Approaches in China

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