Impact of the grassland ecological compensation policy on household livelihood and vegetation coverage: A case study in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture

Using a pastoral household survey and site-specific normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data, this study was conducted to investigate the impacts of the Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy on grassland and the livelihood of herdsmen in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu, China. The results showed that 1) the Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy increased the living standards of herdsmen; the consumption expenditures increased by 4.6 × 10³ CNY and religious expenditure increased by 8.2 × 10³ CNY for every 1.0 × 10⁴ CNY increase in the total income of the Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy. 2) In contrast to previous studies, the number of livestock animals increased with increase in the total income of the Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy; the number of livestock animals increased by 293.60 sheep units with every 1.0 × 10⁴ CNY increase in the total income of the Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy. 3) The increase in total income of the Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy also promoted the production input of herdsmen; the expense of renting grassland and purchasing forage increased by 1.05 × 10⁴ and 3.9 × 10³, CNY respectively. 4) Because of increased production input, the Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy reduced the actual grazing capacity of the grassland, which promoted the restoration of grassland vegetation, and grazing capacity decreased by 0.34 sheep units·ha^–1. The coverage of grassland improved by 2% for every 1.0 × 10⁴ CNY increase in the total income of the Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy.