The peatland area change in past 20 years in the Zoige Basin, eastern Tibetan Plateau
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Published source details
Yao L., Zhao Y., Gao S., Sun J. & Li F. (2011) The peatland area change in past 20 years in the Zoige Basin, eastern Tibetan Plateau. Frontiers in Earth Science, 5, 271-275.
Published source details Yao L., Zhao Y., Gao S., Sun J. & Li F. (2011) The peatland area change in past 20 years in the Zoige Basin, eastern Tibetan Plateau. Frontiers in Earth Science, 5, 271-275.
Actions
This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
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Legally protect peatlands Action Link |
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Legally protect peatlands
A before-and-after study in 1990–2009 of peatlands on the Zoige Plateau, China (Yao et al. 2011) reported that following legal protection of the Plateau, the area of peatland vegetation decreased initially but increased in the longer term. In 1990, the study area contained 4,143 km2 of peatland vegetation. The Plateau was designated as a Natural Reserve in 1994 then upgraded to a National Nature Reserve in 1998. In 2000, the area of peatland vegetation had shrunk by 18% to 3,407 km2. However, by 2009 this had increased by 5% to 3,589 km2. The area of peatland vegetation was calculated from satellite images. The study noted that grazing land has been abandoned since the Plateau was protected, although it is not clear to what extent this is directly related to the protection. The study also noted changes in temperature and rainfall over time.
(Summarised by: Nigel Taylor)
