This comprehensive book unravels the complexities of the grassland systems of Mongolia and northern China to identify the ways in which policies and incentives can be strengthened to improve grassland condition and herder livelihoods.
Through an interdisciplinary lens, combining environmental economics and grassland science, contributors unpack the preferences, attitudes and behavioural responses of Asian grassland actors to new and alternative policies. Offering a comparative analysis of policies and incentives in China and Mongolia, chapters focus on understanding ex ante behavioural responses, arguing convincingly for a mix of incentives and associated policy measures that can both improve grassland conditions and align with the preferences of herders and officials.
Featuring a unique interdisciplinary focus and comparative approach, Common Grasslands in Asia is crucial reading for grassland and rangeland scientists in China, Mongolia and beyond as well as grassland officials seeking new policies and a better understanding of their impact. Academics and researchers of the environment and ecology in China, Mongolia and Asia more broadly will also find Common Grasslands in Asia a fascinating insight into environmental livelihoods and contemporary grassland experiences.
Foreword by Andrew Campbell xv
1 Introduction 1 / Colin G. Brown, Qiao Guanghua, Lkhagvadorj Dorjburegdaa, Jane Addison, David Kemp, Han Guodong, Udval Gombosuren, Karl Behrendt, Jeff Bennett and Li Ping
2 Institutions and macrodevelopments 12 / Jane Addison, Colin G. Brown, Enkh-Orchlon Lkhagvadorj, Zhang Jing, Scott Waldron, Zhang Bao and Duinkherjav Bukhbat
3 Grassland livestock systems 48 / David Kemp, Han Guodong, Li Ping, Wang Zhongwu, Zhao Mengli, Udval Gombosuren, Gantuya Jargalsaihan, Zhang Yingjun, Hou Xiangyang and Jane Addison
4 Grassland environmental services 78 / David Kemp, Li Ping, Jane Addison, Karl Behrendt, Wang Zhongwu, Han Guodong, Zhao Mengli, Udval Gombosuren and Hou Xiangyang
5 Efficiency of marketing systems 96 / Colin G. Brown, Enkh-Orchlon Lkhagvadorj, Zhang Jing, Lkhagvadorj Dorjburegdaa, Qiao Guanghua and Zhang Bao
6 Herders as agents of change 120 / Jane Addison, Enkh-Orchlon Lkhagvadorj, Lkhagvadorj Dorjburegdaa, Zhang Bao and Li Ping
7 Understanding policies and preferences 146 / Jeff Bennett, Li Ping, Zhang Bao, Enkh-Orchlon Lkhagvadorj and Duinkherjav Bukhbat
8 Strengthening policy incentives 165 / Colin G. Brown, Jeff Bennett, Qiao Guanghua, Lkhagvadorj Dorjburegdaa, Jane Addison, Udval Gombosuren, David Kemp, Han Guodong, Karl Behrendt and Li Ping
Index 177
Contributors:
- J. Addison
- K. Behrendt
- J. Bennett
- C. Brown
- D. Bukhbat
- L. Dorjburegdaa
- U. Gombosuren
- Q. Guanghua
- H. Guodong
- X. Hou
- G. Jargalsaihan
- D. Kemp
- P. Li
- E.-O. Lkhagvadorj
- S. Waldron
- B. Zhang
- J. Zhang
- Y. Zhang
- M. Zhao Mengli
- W. Zhongwu
"This well-organized and clearly written edited volume is a pleasure to read. If you could have but one book on your shelf regarding steppe grassland environments and use, this should be it. The comparative approach is most effective, offering excellent detail and comprehensive information throughout. Contributors address seminal issues from a wealth of perspectives and continuously challenge readers at all levels of familiarity to consider the interplay between environments, economics, and policy implementation."
– Gregory Veeck, Western Michigan University, US
"This book reports a multi-disciplinary examination of the fundamental dilemma of reconciling the long-term improvement of herder livelihoods with ensuring the future sustainability of the national environmental resource that grasslands represent. Building on more than three decades of research on the grasslands of China, the authors address the complex issues currently involved from many perspectives including both a sophisticated questioning of herders and a detailed modelling of their present situation. Realistic possible solutions to the dilemma are put forward and evaluated."
– John W. Longworth, President, International Association of Agricultural Economists (1989-91)