村规民约对牧民减畜决策行为的影响

牧民的减畜行为在草原退化过程中起着关键的作用。村规民约作为一种基层自治方式,在一定程度上,对实现草原环境治理的制度化和法制化具有积极作用。因此,本研究通过探讨村规民约对牧民减畜决策行为的影响,以期从非正式制度视角,提出控制牧民超载过牧行为的政策建议。本研究在对村规民约对牧民草原保护决策行为影响机制进行分析的基础上,以内蒙古和新疆193户牧民的实地调研数据为依据,运用Double-Hurdle模型,实证分析村规民约对牧民草原生态保护决策行为的影响。研究发现,以书面形式制定,且近5年内容未发生变化的村规民约,可显著提高牧民的减畜意愿;宗教信仰对牧民的减畜意愿有显著的制约作用;汉语水平越好的牧民,其减畜意愿越高。本研究认为村规民约对其生产生活影响程度越高的牧民,其减畜比例越高;牧民的受教育水平和家庭收入水平与其减畜比例均显著负相关。因此,重视村规民约制定形式的规范性和内容的稳定性,提高牧民对村规民约的遵守程度和认可程度,定期开展牧民汉语培训工作,提高牧民的汉语水平等方式对引导牧民做出有利于保护草原生态的决策行为有积极作用。     

草原生态环境发展与创新——由“补助奖励”到“精确放牧”

为增进草原生态保护政策的有效性,本研究考察了国内草原"补助奖励"政策的实施效果与存在问题。具体以268个牧区半牧区县牧业人口、牲畜超载率和农牧民纯收入变化情况为研究对象,运用比较分析对比"补助奖励"政策前后全国草畜平衡状况,并结合BGLI模型计算"补助奖励"政策的实施对草原超载问题的改善情况。结果表明"补助奖励"政策对全国的超载现状有很好的改善作用,增加了牧区半牧区县的人口和牧民纯收入,尤其对半牧区县的正面影响更加突出,牧区半牧区县整体对该政策的满意度很高。但无差别化的补助标准在一定程度上造成了"补助奖励"政策实施效率的低下,预期效果并不理想。因而本研究认为,应通过建立数据库的办法实施"精确放牧"政策,并提出先减后补,根据超载程度做好多补,中小牧户为补贴主体等建议。     

放牧对土壤理化性状及植被多样性的影响

放牧是家畜饲养方式之一,是草地最简单而又有效的利用方式,但放牧中的家畜家禽通过采食牧草、践踏土壤和牧草以及粪便排泄影响着草地植被和土壤,不同强度的放牧对地下土壤与地上植被的影响不同。本研究综述了近几年来放牧对地下部土壤有机质、氮、磷、钾、土壤容重、有机碳以及微生物多样性的影响,对植被多样性及草群成分的影响等,旨在为今后家畜放牧行为研究以及放牧科学研究提供理论依据。     

The Relationship Between Plant Community Characteristics and Soil Organic Matter Content of Sedentary Grazing Pastures in a Typical Steppe

In order to discuss the relationship between the characteristics of plant communities and the content of topsoil organic matter under the condition of two-season sedentary grazing, authors of this paper selected a Stipa krylovii steppe for research and studied the plant community characteristics and the topsoil organic matter content. The results showed that in the sedentary grazing area, the perennial plant species decreased, the annual plant species increased, and the topsoil organic matter content decreased. There were a negative correlation between plant biomass and topsoil organic matter content, and a positive correlation between total coverage and topsoil organic matter content. The change of plant community characteristics in the sedentary grazing area was related to the implementation of the system of transferring the pasture use rights to the herdsmen and controlled grazing.     

Contribution of White Clover Varieties in High-Productivity Systems under Grazing and Cutting

Two medium leaf size varieties of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) were grown in mixture with a range of grass species and varieties in a field experiment conducted over 4 years. The clovers were grown singly or as a blend in swards with a tetraploid perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), a diploid Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) or tetraploid hybrids between these two species (Lolium x boucheanum Kunth). These grasses were also grown in monoculture. Swards were managed in a regime involving two periods of sheep grazing, two periods of cattle grazing and a silage cut in the same year for 4 years. The objectives of this experiment were 3‐fold: (1) to examine the yield and persistency of white clover in highly productive systems with modern perennial, hybrid and Italian ryegrasses; (2) to compare the performance of white clover varieties grown singly in mixture with grasses with their performance together as a blend, and (3) to examine the persistency of new Italian ryegrass varieties, exemplified by AberComo. The clover content of the sward remained high throughout the experiment, with a mean of 31 % overall. Differences in clover yield between plots were largely attributable to the effects of companion grasses. Total yields were very similar in plots containing different clover varieties and in plots where these varieties had been grown singly or as a blend. Grass yields in mixture were greater than those in monoculture but showed similar relative rankings. The diploid Italian ryegrass variety AberComo showed an unexpectedly high yield in the 4th year of the experiment. The implications of these results for strategies for productive, sustainable agriculture using modern white clover and ryegrass varieties are discussed.     

Agroforestry systems in North America

Agroforestry systems in North America vary widely in terms of components (tree, forb, graminoid, and shrub species) and outputs. Most of the agroforestry systems used in North America have emphasized wood and livestock production. The objective of each system has been to produce annual and long term economic returns and sustainable yields. Inputs such as fossil fuels, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides are relatively low compared to those used in conventional agriculture.Major agroforestry system types in each of eight North American regions are described. The major species used as vegetational components in each system are enumerated by region. The numerous variations in how these components are mixed have created an almost endless number of actual systems. Management problems and solutions, economic concerns, and system comparisons have also been addressed for each region.     

Traditional agroforestry practices in Zimbabwe

Traditional agroforestry systems in the communal areas of Zimbabwe are described. There are systems centered on main fields, on home gardens, on homesites and on grazing areas. In the main fields, the major tree-related management practice is the conservation of preferred indigenous fruit trees. Fruit trees are also the focus of forestry activities around the gardens and the homesite; but here it is the planting of exotic species. In a localized area of Zimbabwe Acacia albida is important in fields. There is almost no use of tree fallows in Zimbabwe. Trees in grazing areas have numerous roles, but at present there is little knowledge about traditional management practices in these areas. In the development of agroforestry systems in Zimbabwe it is suggested that those systems designed to improve fodder production will make a significant contribution to farm productivity because of the importance of cattle in the farming system and the present fodder shortage. Interventions involving the planting of fruit trees are likely to be very successful, as there is much interest in such planting. Another area that needs to be developed is that of tree plantings to improve soil fertility.     

Factors affecting a sheep vegetation management system in British Columbia, Canada

A silvopastoral agroforestry system involving sheep is an important silvicultural issue. We examined the factors that affect the continuation or discontinuation of sheep vegetation management (SVM) in British Columbia. A questionnaire was used to conduct interviews with a randomly selected sample of contractors and farmers who were involved in SVM in British Columbia (BC). Based on a stepwise discriminant analysis, we found that the profitability of SVM, and the practitioners' commitment (number of ewes owned by the farmer or contractor), experience (number of years the farmer or contractor has practiced SVM on public lands in BC) and trust or confidence (number of years the farmer or contractor has consistently worked for the landlord) contributed to the farmer's or contractor's continuation or discontinuation of SVM practice. The factors we defined seemed to be validated (corroborated) by a complex of determinants voiced by various experts concerning the relationship between SVM and the forestry economy in BC, the scale of sheep farming in BC, the relative absence of an agricultural infrastructure to support sheep farming in BC, and the continuity of SVM from year to year. Further investigation into these factors and others is required to advance our understanding of SVM in British Columbia. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cutting and resprouting of Detarium microcarpum and herbaceous forage availability in a semiarid environment in Burkina Faso

The tree-shrub savanna ‘Forêt Classée de Nazinon’ (Burkina Faso) is submitted to a management of grazing and rotational cutting of Detarium microcarpum. This species resprouts after cutting. In order to investigate whether this silvopastoral land use system is sustainable, aboveground herbaceous biomass was measured on subplots under uncut trees (‘uncut’), next to the stubs of cut trees (‘cut’) and on subplots not influenced by the (former) crowns of trees (‘open grassland’) in four lots. These lots were cut one, three, six and seven years before the study. Vegetation composition of the lots and the composition of the diet of cattle were also determined. Comparisons were made between treatments and lots. Herbaceous biomass was lower in the open grassland subplots than in uncut or cut subplots. We speculate that soil enrichment and more efficient precipitation input in (former) tree crown zones could have resulted in this pattern. Cutting and subsequent resprouting of trees did not lead to significant differences in herbaceous biomass between cut and uncut subplots. The most simple explanation for this is that the trees could extend their roots beyond the location of their neighbouring trees. Biomass and coverage of perennial grasses, mainly Andropogon ascinodis and Andropogon gayanus, did not change in lots cut one, three or six years before the study, but decreased dramatically in lots that were cut seven years before the study. When foraging, cattle spent more than 90% of their time feeding on these species. This indicates that, as a consequence of tree cutting, forage availability may be reduced to the point where local herdsmen are forced to take their cattle to another region. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.