Abstract:

China's rangelands, located at the 'Roof of Asia', provide essential environmental services to more than billion downstream inhabitants. Rangeland degradation is a national and regional ecological security concern. Degradation also directly affects the livelihood of herders, who are not only among the poorest in the country, but also marginalized from policy making processes. As policy makers begin to design a large-scale Payment for Environmental Services scheme targeting the nation's rangelands, RUPES is working with national policy advisors to improve their understanding of potential impacts on herders' livelihoods and to incorporate herders' perspectives into policy recommendations.