Impacts and mechanism of the new round of grassland tenure confirmation on grassland ecology:Take the pastural area of Inner Mongolia as an example

Abstract

[Objective] Exploring the ecological impacts of the new round of grassland tenure confirmation can help to innovate and promote the grassland property rights institution for green governance, and provide a reference for the reform of grassland property rights in other countries and regions. [Methods] By applying field research data from pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia and the time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) model, this study explored the impacts of the new round of grassland tenure confirmation policy on grassland ecology and its mechanisms. [Results] (1) The new round of grassland tenure confirmation policy contributes to improved grassland ecology. Compared with those before tenure confirmation, the vegetation cover and plant height of grasslands after grassland tenure confirmation increased by 0.265 and 13.8 cm, respectively. This is the net impact of the positive property rights security effect and the negative scale fragmentation effect brought about by grassland tenure confirmation. (2) The security of property rights brought about by grassland tenure confirmation has changed herders’ attitude toward grassland use, improved their capacities, and promoted their ecological conservation behavior. (3) Heterogeneity analysis showed that the new round of grassland tenure confirmation is more effective for large herders to improve their grassland ecology compared to smaller herders. [Conclusion] This article suggests that the new round of grassland tenure confirmation could be carried out in pastoral areas with favorable conditions. By confirming grassland use rights of herding households, this policy is expected to improve grassland vegetation cover and height. In areas with small grassland area per household and complex topographic and geomorphic conditions, grassland tenure confirmation could be implemented according to local conditions, or considering to confirm the rights not to individual herding households but to small communities.

Keywords

• grassland tenure confirmation|grassland ecology|time-varying did model|herder behavior|inner mongolia