Study On Grassland Husbandry To Adapt To Climate Change Based On Vulnerability And Adaptive Strategy Assessment

Climate change has already impacted upon a large range of physical/biological systems and sectors of human activity, it has become one of the important factors in the process of the national or regional economic and social sustainable development. How to adapt to climate change has become the important issue and task of a national or regional sustainable development. All over the world, governments need a process for planning how to adapt to climate change. Vulnerability assessment and adaptive strategy assessment are two crucial step in climate change adaptation research for regions or climate sensitive industries.Grassland husbandry is the backbone of the pasturing area economy, but also is the main household income source of the majority herdsmen, it has the important role and status in the national economy of region. Meanwhile, grassland husbandry is one of the most sensitive and vulnerable sectors affected by climate change, it will has a profound impact for human food safety and quality of life. Therefore, study on grassland husbandry to adapt to climate change has become an important content of the research and management on adaptation of climate change in China, and it has the greatest signifiance to sustainable development of China. The highlight of this article is that constructed an inclusive vulnerability assessment framework and indicators system in the research of grassland husbandry to climate change, assessed and sorted the adaptive strategies of grassland husbandry to adapt to climate change from the perspective of stakeholders at different levels and organizations based on the Participitating Assessment and Analytic Hierarchy Process.This artical includes three parts:1. The review of grassland husbandry to adapt to climate changeThis article overviews the current research of grassland husbandry to adapt to climate change and climate change adaption science, analyzes and presents the issues of current research and future research emphases in China. This paper will providing the important support for grassland husbandry to coping for climate change and its sustainable development.2. Vulnerability assessment of grassland husbandry to climate changeThis paper adopts the Participating Assessment and Action Impact Matrix to identify the key vulnerability factors. And then we build up the indicator calsses of vulnerability assessment employing the Analytic Hierarchy Process methodology. With the assessment model, we calculate the vulnerability index, which reveals the vulnerability of grassland livestock industry to drought in Xilingol, Inner Mongolia. The results are as following:1) Drought is the most critical climate hazard, inciting serious and vast impact on grassland livestock industry;2) Drought has detrimental impacts on herdsmen’s livelihood because it deteriorates the supplies of grass, livestock, and water in pastoral areas. Unfortunately, the effect of drought on human being’s health is always ignored by stakeholders;3) The areas with poor husbandry infrastructure and intense climatic fluctuation are more vulnerable to climate change;4) The improving adaptive capacity is mainly responsible for the reduction of the vulnerability of grassland livestock industry to climate change in both spatial and temporal scales. The promotion of adaptive capacity is prior to the reductions of both sensitivity and exposure in terms of adaptation strategies to climate change;5) The promotion of adaptive capacity aims to guarantee herdsmen’s livelihood through increasing herdsmen’s economic income, improving the husbandry infrastructure, and enhancing the capacity of supplementary feeding, etc..3. Adaptive strategies assessment of grassland husbandry to adapt to climate changeThis paper employs the methods of Participitating Assessment and Analytic Hierarchy Process to study the adaptation strategies of grassland livestock industry to climate change on different levels and institutions stakeholders in Inner Mongolia. By sorting, assessment and contrast the adaptation strategies are proposed by different stakeholders, we think,1) The awareness of different stakeholders on adapting to climate change have been basically formed, but the cognition of adaptive strategy on different stakeholders that have some differences;2) Adaptation strategies must rely on sound and right system and policies;3) The precondition of adaptation is to guarantee the livelihoods and life quality of herdsmen;4) Government authorities and research institutions should be as the main body to help herdsmen adapting to climate change;5) Regional and climate sensitivity policies should be evaluated, modify and improve the adaptation strategies in timely;6) Need to take some preventive measures and more specific, practical adaptation measures;7) Strengthen the training of adaptation concept, meteorological knowledge and production management to herdsmen.