Management and land use change effects on soil carbon in China s grasslands: a synthesis

Grasslands cover about 40% of China's land area. This paper synthesizes 133 papers from China on the impacts of land use conversion and improved management practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) in China's grasslands. The synthesis finds that overgrazing and conversion of freely grazed grassland to...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wang, Shiping, Wilkes, Andreas, Zhang, Zhicai, Chang, Xiaofeng, Lang, Rong, Wang, Yanfen, Niu, Haishan
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/42125
_version_ 1855513236625948672
author Wang, Shiping
Wilkes, Andreas
Zhang, Zhicai
Chang, Xiaofeng
Lang, Rong
Wang, Yanfen
Niu, Haishan
author_browse Chang, Xiaofeng
Lang, Rong
Niu, Haishan
Wang, Shiping
Wang, Yanfen
Wilkes, Andreas
Zhang, Zhicai
author_facet Wang, Shiping
Wilkes, Andreas
Zhang, Zhicai
Chang, Xiaofeng
Lang, Rong
Wang, Yanfen
Niu, Haishan
author_sort Wang, Shiping
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Grasslands cover about 40% of China's land area. This paper synthesizes 133 papers from China on the impacts of land use conversion and improved management practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) in China's grasslands. The synthesis finds that overgrazing and conversion of freely grazed grassland to cropland lead to an annual average decline of 2.3 2.8% in SOC, and have caused a loss of 30 35% of total grassland SOC in China. Improved management practices may reverse the loss of SOC. Exclosure of degraded grassland from grazing and conversion of cropland to abandoned fields (i.e. natural restoration) increased carbon content by 34% and 62% on average. Carbon sequestration rates were greatest during the first 30 yr after treatments began and tended to be greatest in the top 10 cm of soil. Carbon sequestration potential was negatively related to initial carbon and nitrogen concentrations in soils. Exclosure from grazing and the conversion of cropland to abandoned fields resulted in average carbon sequestration rates of 130.4 g C m?2 yr?1 for 0 40 cm soil and 128.0 g C m?2 yr?1 for 0 30 cm soil, representing annual average increases of 5.4 6.3%. Based on our results, achievement of the national objective to exclude grazing livestock from 150 million ha of China's grasslands and to establish 30 million ha of cultivated pasture by 2020 would sequester over 0.24 Pg C yr?1, which is equivalent to about 16% of fossil fuel CO2 emissions in China in 2006.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace42125
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2011
publishDateRange 2011
publishDateSort 2011
publisher Elsevier
publisherStr Elsevier
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace421252024-08-27T10:34:39Z Management and land use change effects on soil carbon in China s grasslands: a synthesis Wang, Shiping Wilkes, Andreas Zhang, Zhicai Chang, Xiaofeng Lang, Rong Wang, Yanfen Niu, Haishan agriculture climate grasslands carbon sequestration land use ecology Grasslands cover about 40% of China's land area. This paper synthesizes 133 papers from China on the impacts of land use conversion and improved management practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) in China's grasslands. The synthesis finds that overgrazing and conversion of freely grazed grassland to cropland lead to an annual average decline of 2.3 2.8% in SOC, and have caused a loss of 30 35% of total grassland SOC in China. Improved management practices may reverse the loss of SOC. Exclosure of degraded grassland from grazing and conversion of cropland to abandoned fields (i.e. natural restoration) increased carbon content by 34% and 62% on average. Carbon sequestration rates were greatest during the first 30 yr after treatments began and tended to be greatest in the top 10 cm of soil. Carbon sequestration potential was negatively related to initial carbon and nitrogen concentrations in soils. Exclosure from grazing and the conversion of cropland to abandoned fields resulted in average carbon sequestration rates of 130.4 g C m?2 yr?1 for 0 40 cm soil and 128.0 g C m?2 yr?1 for 0 30 cm soil, representing annual average increases of 5.4 6.3%. Based on our results, achievement of the national objective to exclude grazing livestock from 150 million ha of China's grasslands and to establish 30 million ha of cultivated pasture by 2020 would sequester over 0.24 Pg C yr?1, which is equivalent to about 16% of fossil fuel CO2 emissions in China in 2006. 2011-08 2014-08-15T12:13:26Z 2014-08-15T12:13:26Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/42125 en Limited Access Elsevier Wang S, Wilkes A, Zhang Z, Chang X, Lang R, Wang Y, Niu H. 2011. Management and land use change effects on soil carbon in China s grasslands: a synthesis. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 142(3-4):329 340.
spellingShingle agriculture
climate
grasslands
carbon sequestration
land use
ecology
Wang, Shiping
Wilkes, Andreas
Zhang, Zhicai
Chang, Xiaofeng
Lang, Rong
Wang, Yanfen
Niu, Haishan
Management and land use change effects on soil carbon in China s grasslands: a synthesis
title Management and land use change effects on soil carbon in China s grasslands: a synthesis
title_full Management and land use change effects on soil carbon in China s grasslands: a synthesis
title_fullStr Management and land use change effects on soil carbon in China s grasslands: a synthesis
title_full_unstemmed Management and land use change effects on soil carbon in China s grasslands: a synthesis
title_short Management and land use change effects on soil carbon in China s grasslands: a synthesis
title_sort management and land use change effects on soil carbon in china s grasslands a synthesis
topic agriculture
climate
grasslands
carbon sequestration
land use
ecology
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/42125
work_keys_str_mv AT wangshiping managementandlandusechangeeffectsonsoilcarboninchinasgrasslandsasynthesis
AT wilkesandreas managementandlandusechangeeffectsonsoilcarboninchinasgrasslandsasynthesis
AT zhangzhicai managementandlandusechangeeffectsonsoilcarboninchinasgrasslandsasynthesis
AT changxiaofeng managementandlandusechangeeffectsonsoilcarboninchinasgrasslandsasynthesis
AT langrong managementandlandusechangeeffectsonsoilcarboninchinasgrasslandsasynthesis
AT wangyanfen managementandlandusechangeeffectsonsoilcarboninchinasgrasslandsasynthesis
AT niuhaishan managementandlandusechangeeffectsonsoilcarboninchinasgrasslandsasynthesis