This 13th Five-Year National Plan on Grasslands Preservation and Utilization is developed by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) to effectively strengthen protection, construction and utilization of grassland, accelerate grassland ecological improvement, and promote the development of animal husbandry. The Plan addresses the grassland preservation, construction and utilization in an integrated way. It is posited by the MOA that, under the 13th Five-Year Grasslands Plan, the following principles be relied upon to sustain the following grassland policies: (a) the preservation of grassland should be prioritized and the restoration thereof should be accelerated; (b) science-based planning and zoning governance should be strengthened; and (c) special local conditions and priorities should be attended to. The overall objectives of grasslands preservation and utilization under the 13th Five-Year Grasslands Plan include mainly the following: by 2020, (a) the eco-functions of grasslands are significantly enhanced – the vegetation grassland cover rate reaches 56%; the area of prime grasslands is about 3.6 billion mu; (b) the productivity of grasslands steadily increases – fresh grasses growing on the grasslands are around 1.05 billion tons; the area of artificial pasture is about 450 million mu; (c) the science-based utilization of grasslands is strengthened – the area of grazing prohibition is around 1.2 billion mu; that of grazing land resting is 1.944 billion mu; that of rotational grazing is 420 million mu; the average carrying ratio of prime natural grasslands is controlled below 10%; (d) the capacity of grasslands to resist disasters are improved; and (e) the grassland infrastructure facilities are further developed – specifically, around 55 grassland natural preserves are established, the area fenced for returning grazing areas to grasslands is increased to 2.25 billion mu, and more than 1 million households build cattle barns, grassland-storage barns, and grass-storage cellars. The Plan concerns the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters and their impacts on the grasslands, and proposes to further strengthen the grassland monitoring and early warning system.
Chine · 2016-01-01