Pastures green
China boasts some 400 million hectares of grassland, accounting for 42% of China’s total land area, making it the second-largest terrestrial carbon sink after forests in the country.
Grasslands are distributed mainly in the temperate regions and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Human activities and climate change have adversely impacted 90% of the country’s grassland areas, which support a range of ecological services. the livelihoods of millions of people and are key habitats for wildlife.
Professor Bai Yongfei, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, highlights why grasslands are a fundamental part of the entire earth’s terrestrial ecosystem and natural carbon dioxide “storage tanks”.
Source: CGTN Biz, June 8, 2023
Video: https://youtu.be/UgvnPqvTbuE