TITLE:
Effects of Climate Change on Vegetation in Desert Steppe Inner Mongolia
AUTHORS:
Shan Dan, Hejing Li, Liuyan Ping, Xing’en De
KEYWORDS:
Diversity; Aboveground Biomass; Dominant Species; Ecological Rehabilitation
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Resources,
Vol.4 No.4,
July
24,
2013
ABSTRACT: As the largest ecosystem in China, Grassland not only provides abundant natural resources for the regional economic development, but also safeguards the environment of north China as it acts as an ecological protective screen. However, because of the arid and semi-arid regions, most grassland are limited by climate seriously, changes in precipitation and temperature can affect the community composition and primary productivity within and through grassland ecosystems. Based on the long period climate data and observational data of vegetation in DAMAOQI grassland Inner Mongolia, the study analyzed the climate change and its effect on community properties by using the linear trend method, etc. The results showed that climate change presented increasing temperature and fluctuant precipitation in the last decades. More precipitation could increase species diversity, and precipitation was better than the temperature for diversity exponents. According to these results, the strategy of soil and water conservation ecological rehabilitation would be provided to respond to the climate change. Increase the vegetation coverage and alleviate soil erosion relying on the self-restoration capability of natural ecosystems under ecological theories, erect a development system on the balance among the water, the forage and the animal. Transform those traditional extensive methods and enhance family farms vigorously by local conditions, the most important of which is water resource. The strategy of ecological rehabilitation advocates in the soil and water conservation and the ecological construction can be adjusted to the aim that establishes a conservation-minded society and a friendly environment society.