TY - JOUR

T1 - An Improved Approach to Estimate Stocking Rate and Carrying Capacity Based on Remotely Sensed Phenology Timings

AU - Shi, Yan

AU - Brierley, Gary

AU - Perry, George L. W.

AU - Gao, Jay

AU - Li, Xilai

AU - Prishchepov, Alexander V.

AU - Li, Jiexia

AU - Han, Meiqin

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Accurate estimation of livestock carrying capacity (LCC) and implementation of an appropriate actual stocking rate (ASR) are key to the sustainable management of grazing adapted alpine grassland ecosystems. The reliable determination of aboveground biomass is fundamental to these determinations. Peak aboveground biomass (AGBP) captured from satellite data at the peak of the growing season (POS) is widely used as a proxy for annual aboveground biomass (AGBA) to estimate LCC of grasslands. Here, we demonstrate the limitations of this approach and highlight the ability of POS in the estimation of ASR. We develop and trail new approaches that incorporate remote sensing phenology timings of grassland response to grazing activity, considering relations between biomass growth and consumption dynamics, in an effort to support more accurate and reliable estimation of LCC and ASR. The results show that based on averaged values from large-scale studies of alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), differences between AGBP and AGBA underestimate LCC by about 31%. The findings from a smaller-scale study that incorporate phenology timings into the estimation of annual aboveground biomass reveal that summer pastures in Haibei alpine meadows were overgrazed by 11.5% during the study period from 2000 to 2005. The methods proposed can be extended to map grassland grazing pressure by predicting the LCC and tracking the ASR, thereby improving sustainable resource use in alpine grasslands.

AB - Accurate estimation of livestock carrying capacity (LCC) and implementation of an appropriate actual stocking rate (ASR) are key to the sustainable management of grazing adapted alpine grassland ecosystems. The reliable determination of aboveground biomass is fundamental to these determinations. Peak aboveground biomass (AGBP) captured from satellite data at the peak of the growing season (POS) is widely used as a proxy for annual aboveground biomass (AGBA) to estimate LCC of grasslands. Here, we demonstrate the limitations of this approach and highlight the ability of POS in the estimation of ASR. We develop and trail new approaches that incorporate remote sensing phenology timings of grassland response to grazing activity, considering relations between biomass growth and consumption dynamics, in an effort to support more accurate and reliable estimation of LCC and ASR. The results show that based on averaged values from large-scale studies of alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), differences between AGBP and AGBA underestimate LCC by about 31%. The findings from a smaller-scale study that incorporate phenology timings into the estimation of annual aboveground biomass reveal that summer pastures in Haibei alpine meadows were overgrazed by 11.5% during the study period from 2000 to 2005. The methods proposed can be extended to map grassland grazing pressure by predicting the LCC and tracking the ASR, thereby improving sustainable resource use in alpine grasslands.

KW - alpine grassland

KW - livestock carrying capacity

KW - peak aboveground biomass

KW - remote sensing phenology

KW - stocking rate

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85195867184&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/rs16111991

DO - 10.3390/rs16111991

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85195867184

VL - 16

JO - Remote Sensing

JF - Remote Sensing

SN - 2072-4292

IS - 11

M1 - 1991

ER -