Impacts of changes in rangeland management laws and policies on grazing flexibility and pastoral livelihoods in Inner Mongolia,China

Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of China and has a long history of pastoralism. It is a predominately arid and semi-arid region with annual precipitation of 20–500 mm from the west to east. Prior to intervention of modern rangeland management laws and policies, the pastoralists in Inner Mongolia responded to variability in ecological condition and patchiness of rangeland resources via flexible rangeland management. However, since the 1950s, some rangeland management laws and policies have affected the flexibility of rangeland management in Inner Mongolia. This study investigated the impacts of changes of rangeland management laws and policies on grazing flexibility in Inner Mongolia, and discussed whether it is desirable to allow flexibility of grazing management in Inner Mongolia, and what are the possible directions to encourage the flexibility. First, the study investigated the historical and current policies of rangeland management in Inner Mongolia from the perspective of property rights. Second, the study identified and analysed how some of the previous collectivisation and privatisation policies of the rangeland resources and livestock have affected grazing flexibility in this region. Third, this study discussed whether a higher level of flexibility of grazing management is desirable in Inner Mongolia and gave recommendations on the possible directions to encourage the flexibility of grazing management. The study drew on theories of rangeland management in Inner Mongolia, Mongolia and parts of Africa and has increased the understanding of grazing flexibility in Inner Mongolia. It is a step towards more sustainable rangeland management and development in Inner Mongolia.