Land degradation reduces soil carbon storage and additionally damages the natural environment and sustainable activities of local pasturage. Degradation of these alpine rangelands is advancing in China, due mainly to inappropriate land management (e.g., overgrazing) and climatic changes. This study provides an important initial evaluation of alpine rangeland, for which ground-based information is limited.Īlpine rangelands that spread across the highlands of East and Central Asia, which serve as carbon sinks, play an important role in the mitigation of global warming. Although statistical uncertainties remain in the results derived in this study, the satellite-based data and the analyses will promote understanding of the rangeland environment and suggest the potential for unsustainable land management based on statistical probability. Additionally, the possibility of land degradation in heavily-grazed rangeland was indicated via a multiple regression analysis at a decadal timescale, whereas weather conditions, such as rainfall and snow cover, primarily explained year-by-year differences in grass production. The result of the analysis indicated that soil water content and the timing of snowmelt play an important role in grass production in the area. Under these circumstances, the present study aimed to assess the rangeland environment and its degradation using MODIS vegetation, snow, and evapotranspiration products as primary input data for assessment. However, owing to weak infrastructure for scientific and statistical data collection and sociopolitical restrictions in the region, a lack of quality ground-based weather, vegetation, and livestock statistical data had prevented scientific assessment. With increasing numbers of livestock, the managers and users of the park are apprehensive about degradation of the grazing land. The park has been used by a variety of livestock holders. Land degradation of alpine rangeland in Dachigam National Park, Northern India, was evaluated in this study using MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land products.
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