Ecological pressures on grassland ecosystems and their conservation strategies in Northern China

In this study, we identified ecological pressures on grassland ecosystems and adaptive countermeasures in Northern China. Our research revealed that the main sources of these pressures included population growth, economic development, resources exploitation, and global climate change, with human-related activities being overriding factors. Overgrazing was an important reason for grassland imbalance, causing soil erosion and desertification, especially during the sensitive spring greening phase. In steppe zones, commercial coal mining was destructive to the ecological environment. Regarding long-term strategies, we recommend that policy-makers devote more consideration to a new conceptual approach for transforming grasslands through shifting the focus from the grassland's traditional production functions to their ecological functions. Applying this concept, adaptive countermeasures should be developed to reduce human impacts based on the environmental capacities of grasslands. Moreover, we recommend the development of environment-friendly industries and reduction of pressures from human activities as effective measures for maintaining the balance between sustainable economic development and grassland conservation. Lastly, we suggest that restoration of degraded grasslands should conform to the principle of natural vegetation to further improve the ecological adaptability of plants and ecosystem stability. This study is expected to provide scientific support for policy-makers engaged in grassland protection.