Assessment of the Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy (GECP) in Qinghai, China

The grassland condition in Qinghai Province has changed dramatically after implementation of the Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy (GECP). The changes in grassland Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and those in grassland area and grass-land Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RESI) reveal that the policy has indeed played a crucial role in grassland ecological recovery. Although in the first round of policy implementation from 2011-2015, the quality of grassland has not improved significantly, and degradation even occurred in some areas, the second round of the policy implementation reversed this trend. As the world's only ecological subsidy policy for grassland ecosystems, it should continue to be implemented and monitored for better recovery of grassland ecology and production activities of herders that are concerned.

Automated summary

The implementation of the Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy (GECP) in Qinghai Province has led to dramatic changes in grassland conditions, playing a crucial role in grassland ecological recovery. However, some areas still experience degradation. Despite this, the policy should continue to be implemented to protect grassland ecology and support herders' production activities.