As pastoralists in China change their way of life from subsistence activities to ranching and other income generating activities, government policies to sedentarise nomadic herders and fence pastures have a vital impact on social and environmental conditions on the grasslands.
The project 'Pastoralism in China: National Policies and Local Practices' focuses on the issue of rangeland environmental degradation, investigating the interface between the use of resources (especially grazing land and water), the legal framework regulating rights to resources, policy implementation and the negotiation of rights within and between local communities. The project studies the dynamics between policy-making and implementation, socio-economic relations and resource management, and the impacts of these dynamics on a fragile natural environment.
This project was funded by the Research Council of Norway (FRIMUF).
