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Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology ›› 2023, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (12): 3427-3436.doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.202312.007

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Research review on methods of grassland health assessment

MA Chunyan1, LIU Mingrui1, LIU Shiting1, XIAO Shunming1, LI Hui1, ZHANG Meiyan2, HOU Fujiang1, LIU Yongjie1*   

  1. 1State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems/Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China;
    2Yunnan Academy of Grassland and Animal Science, Kunming 650212, China
  • Received:2023-08-20 Revised:2023-10-24 Online:2023-12-15 Published:2024-06-15

Abstract: Grassland health refers to the degree to which the integrity of soil and ecological processes is maintained, which primarily reflects the health status and productivity of grasslands. Evaluating the degree of grassland health is vital for the sustainable develop of grasslands. There are many methods for evaluating grassland health, with advantages and disadvantages for each one. However, there is still a lack of systematic literature offering an overview of methods of grassland health assessment and their applicability. We summarized 10 methods of grassland health assessment, including vigor-organization-resilience (VOR) index evaluation model, condition-vigor-organization-resilience (CVOR) index evaluation model, principal component analysis method, analytic hierarchy process, cluster analysis method, grey relational analysis, pressure-state-response evaluation model, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, comprehensive evaluation model of grassland health, and evaluation model using remote sensing technology. The advantages, disadvantages, and applicability of these methods were discussed, aiming to provide scientific basis for selecting more suitable methods of grassland health assessment for different scenarios in the future.

Key words: grassland health assessment, CVOR index evaluation model, VOR index evaluation model, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method