A method for calculating the suitable monthly carrying capacity of seasonal pasture——Taking Heriheng Village, Henan County, Qinghai Province as example

Calculation of the most appropriate monthly livestock carrying capacity can help with monitoring the seasonal conflict between grass supply and livestock and enable grassland managers to adjust grazing strategies in a timely fashion. As a contribution to effective grassland management, the paper provides a calculation method in which an empirical model based on remote sensing and ground investigation data is combined with monthly dynamic coefficients of grassland yield. This approach was applied to seasonal pasture at Heriheng Village, Henan County, Qinghai Province. The results show that this method can effectively reflect the dynamic changes in proper carrying capacity and identify the appropriate balance between grassland and livestock during the year. In our study region, grassland yield is highest in July and then begins declining gradually. Apart from July, overloading at different levels occurs in all the other months. Based on the current grazing level and the analysis of forage supply, it is proposed that the stocking level in late August should be taken as the most reasonable grazing level. The method of calculating the most suitable monthly livestock carrying capacity, proposed by this paper, can help determine appropriate grazing levels, estimate the ideal balance between grassland and livestock, and provide a theoretical reference for rational utilization and sustainable development of grassland resources.