Adaptive Grazing and Land Use Coupling in Arid Pastoral China: Insights from Sunan County
Driven by climate change and stringent ecological conservation policies, arid and semi-arid pastoral areas face acute grassland degradation and forage–livestock imbalances. In Sunan County (Gansu Province, China), herders have increasingly turned to off-site grazing—leasing crop fields in adjacent o...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| author | Bo Lan Yue Zhang Zhaofan Wu Haifei Wang |
| author_facet | Bo Lan Yue Zhang Zhaofan Wu Haifei Wang |
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| description | Driven by climate change and stringent ecological conservation policies, arid and semi-arid pastoral areas face acute grassland degradation and forage–livestock imbalances. In Sunan County (Gansu Province, China), herders have increasingly turned to off-site grazing—leasing crop fields in adjacent oases during autumn and winter—to alleviate local grassland pressure and adapt their livelihoods. However, the interplay between the evolving land use system (L) and this emergent borrowed pasture system (B) remains under-explored. This study introduces a coupled analytical framework linking L and B. We employ multi-temporal remote sensing imagery (2018–2023) and official statistical data to derive land use dynamic degree (LUDD) metrics and 14 indicators for the borrowed pasture system. Through entropy weighting and a coupling coordination degree model (CCDM), we quantify subsystem performance, interaction intensity, and coordination over time. The results show that 2017 was a turning point in grassland–bare land dynamics: grassland trends shifted from positive to negative, whereas bare land trends turned from negative to positive; strong coupling but low early coordination (C > 0.95; D < 0.54) were present due to institutional lags, infrastructural gaps, and rising rental costs; resilient grassroots networks bolstered coordination during COVID-19 (D ≈ 0.78 in 2023); and institutional voids limited scalability, highlighting the need for integrated subsidy, insurance, and management frameworks. In addition, among those interviewed, 75% (15/20) observed significant grassland degradation before adopting off-site grazing, and 40% (8/20) perceived improvements afterward, indicating its potential role in ecological regulation under climate stress. By fusing remote sensing quantification with local stakeholder insights, this study advances social–ecological coupling theory and offers actionable guidance for optimizing cross-regional forage allocation and adaptive governance in arid pastoral zones. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d8da55b52b6f4545bf2c1c3ea949fd5e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj-art-d8da55b52b6f4545bf2c1c3ea949fd5e2025-08-20T03:35:38ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2025-07-01147145110.3390/land14071451Adaptive Grazing and Land Use Coupling in Arid Pastoral China: Insights from Sunan CountyBo Lan0Yue Zhang1Zhaofan Wu2Haifei Wang3Center for Studies of Ethnic Minorities in Northwest China, Center for China’s Border Security Studies, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaGansu Provincial Center for Ethnic and Religious Studies, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaSchool of Chinese National Community, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaCenter for Studies of Ethnic Minorities in Northwest China, Center for China’s Border Security Studies, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaDriven by climate change and stringent ecological conservation policies, arid and semi-arid pastoral areas face acute grassland degradation and forage–livestock imbalances. In Sunan County (Gansu Province, China), herders have increasingly turned to off-site grazing—leasing crop fields in adjacent oases during autumn and winter—to alleviate local grassland pressure and adapt their livelihoods. However, the interplay between the evolving land use system (L) and this emergent borrowed pasture system (B) remains under-explored. This study introduces a coupled analytical framework linking L and B. We employ multi-temporal remote sensing imagery (2018–2023) and official statistical data to derive land use dynamic degree (LUDD) metrics and 14 indicators for the borrowed pasture system. Through entropy weighting and a coupling coordination degree model (CCDM), we quantify subsystem performance, interaction intensity, and coordination over time. The results show that 2017 was a turning point in grassland–bare land dynamics: grassland trends shifted from positive to negative, whereas bare land trends turned from negative to positive; strong coupling but low early coordination (C > 0.95; D < 0.54) were present due to institutional lags, infrastructural gaps, and rising rental costs; resilient grassroots networks bolstered coordination during COVID-19 (D ≈ 0.78 in 2023); and institutional voids limited scalability, highlighting the need for integrated subsidy, insurance, and management frameworks. In addition, among those interviewed, 75% (15/20) observed significant grassland degradation before adopting off-site grazing, and 40% (8/20) perceived improvements afterward, indicating its potential role in ecological regulation under climate stress. By fusing remote sensing quantification with local stakeholder insights, this study advances social–ecological coupling theory and offers actionable guidance for optimizing cross-regional forage allocation and adaptive governance in arid pastoral zones.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/7/1451arid pastoral regionsoff-site grazingland use changesocial–ecological couplingcoordination modellivelihood adaptation |
| spellingShingle | Bo Lan Yue Zhang Zhaofan Wu Haifei Wang Adaptive Grazing and Land Use Coupling in Arid Pastoral China: Insights from Sunan County Land arid pastoral regions off-site grazing land use change social–ecological coupling coordination model livelihood adaptation |
| title | Adaptive Grazing and Land Use Coupling in Arid Pastoral China: Insights from Sunan County |
| title_full | Adaptive Grazing and Land Use Coupling in Arid Pastoral China: Insights from Sunan County |
| title_fullStr | Adaptive Grazing and Land Use Coupling in Arid Pastoral China: Insights from Sunan County |
| title_full_unstemmed | Adaptive Grazing and Land Use Coupling in Arid Pastoral China: Insights from Sunan County |
| title_short | Adaptive Grazing and Land Use Coupling in Arid Pastoral China: Insights from Sunan County |
| title_sort | adaptive grazing and land use coupling in arid pastoral china insights from sunan county |
| topic | arid pastoral regions off-site grazing land use change social–ecological coupling coordination model livelihood adaptation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/7/1451 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bolan adaptivegrazingandlandusecouplinginaridpastoralchinainsightsfromsunancounty AT yuezhang adaptivegrazingandlandusecouplinginaridpastoralchinainsightsfromsunancounty AT zhaofanwu adaptivegrazingandlandusecouplinginaridpastoralchinainsightsfromsunancounty AT haifeiwang adaptivegrazingandlandusecouplinginaridpastoralchinainsightsfromsunancounty |