Rangeland degradation assessment in Kyrgyzstan： vegetation and soils as indicators of grazing pressure in Naryn Oblast

Rangelands occupy more than 80% of the agricultural land in Kyrgyzstan. At least 30% of Kyrgyz pasture areas are considered to be subject to vegetation and soil degradation. Since animal husbandry is the economic basis to sustain people＇s livelihoods, rangeland degradation presents a threat for the...

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Published inJournal of mountain science Vol. 13; no. 9; pp. 1567 - 1583
Main Authors Hoppe, Franziska, Zhusui Kyzy, Taalaigul, Usupbaev, Adilet, Schickhoff, Udo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Heidelberg Science Press 01.09.2016
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Agricultural land
Animal husbandry
Biomass
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Ecology
Environment
Geography
Grazing
Land degradation
Ordination
Organic matter
Pasture
Pastures
Range management
Rangelands
Soil degradation
Soil sciences
Species diversity
Species richness
Summer
Vegetation
Winter
吉尔吉斯斯坦
土壤退化
地上生物量
放牧压力
有机质含量
植被
草地退化
退化评价
Naryn Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Ordination
Classification
Plant communities
Animal husbandry
Alpine meadows
Montane pastures
Alpine steppes
Grazing management
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Summary:Rangelands occupy more than 80% of the agricultural land in Kyrgyzstan. At least 30% of Kyrgyz pasture areas are considered to be subject to vegetation and soil degradation. Since animal husbandry is the economic basis to sustain people＇s livelihoods, rangeland degradation presents a threat for the majority of the population. We present for the first time an ecological assessment of different pasture types in a remote area of the Naryn Oblast, using vegetation and softs as indicators of rangeland conditions. We analysed the current degree of utilization （grazing pressure）, the amount of biomass, soil samples, and vegetation data, using cluster analysis as well as ordination techniques. Winter pastures （kyshtoo） are characterized by higher pH values （average of 7.27） and lower organic matter contents （average of 12.83%） compared to summer pastures （dzailoo） with average pH values of 6.03 and average organic matter contents of 21.05%. Additionally, summer pastures show higher above- ground biomass, and higher species richness and diversity. Our results support the hypothesis that winter pastures, which are located near settlements, suffer from over-utilisation, while the more distant summer pastures are subjected to much lower grazing pressure,
Bibliography:Alpine meadows; Alpine steppes; Animalhusbandry; Classification; Grazing management;Montane pastures; Ordination; Plant communities
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Rangelands occupy more than 80% of the agricultural land in Kyrgyzstan. At least 30% of Kyrgyz pasture areas are considered to be subject to vegetation and soil degradation. Since animal husbandry is the economic basis to sustain people＇s livelihoods, rangeland degradation presents a threat for the majority of the population. We present for the first time an ecological assessment of different pasture types in a remote area of the Naryn Oblast, using vegetation and softs as indicators of rangeland conditions. We analysed the current degree of utilization （grazing pressure）, the amount of biomass, soil samples, and vegetation data, using cluster analysis as well as ordination techniques. Winter pastures （kyshtoo） are characterized by higher pH values （average of 7.27） and lower organic matter contents （average of 12.83%） compared to summer pastures （dzailoo） with average pH values of 6.03 and average organic matter contents of 21.05%. Additionally, summer pastures show higher above- ground biomass, and higher species richness and diversity. Our results support the hypothesis that winter pastures, which are located near settlements, suffer from over-utilisation, while the more distant summer pastures are subjected to much lower grazing pressure
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1672-6316
1993-0321
1008-2786
DOI:10.1007/s11629-016-3915-5