Grasslands of the World.pdf - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

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Plate 7.11
Meadow grazing – Arkhangai.
Grasslands of the world
be grazed early in spring (Plate 7.11) and then left for haymaking (and later
autumn and winter feed), as the livestock (horses, goats , sheep , cattle and yak
are moved down to lower elevations.
Haymaking has been carried out for a very long time. Historically, each
herder is entitled to use certain land where hay has been cut for many years.
After privatization, however, every hayfield has become a focus of disputes
between individual herders and members within social groups, as well as with
people from neighbouring communities . Also, the repeated cutting of the past
few decades has led to a serious decline in the natural productivity of hay fields
and there is no sign, at present, that herders will invest in their improvement .
Natural hay fields have usually been mown for a long time, so stones and
obstructions have largely been eliminated. Further study is required on sources
of animal-drawn equipment such as mowers and trip-rakes (carts are available),
as well as on how to finance their acquisition and organize their management .
Ways of raising yields will also have to be investigated if haymaking is to be
improved – haymaking costs, other than cartage and stacking, are proportional
to the area dealt with rather than the quantity of hay made.
The botanical composition of the hayfields varies, of course, according to
site. In the mountain steppe, the main grasses would be Leymus chinensis , Stipa
krylovi , Festuca lenensis and Koeleria cristata , with Carex duriscula , Artemisia
lacenata , A. glauca , A. commutata and Plantago adpressi as the main herbs. In
a riparian meadow , the grasses would be Leymus chinensis, Koeleria cristata
and Agropyron cristatum , with Carex pediformis , Artemisia lacenata, Potentilla
tanacetifolium , P. anserina , Galium verum and Plantago adpressa . In a rainfed
J.M. SUTTIE