ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Effects of Grassland Tourism on Alpine Meadow
Community and Soil Properties
in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
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1
Tourism Management Department, Beijing International Studies University, Beijing, China
2
Lanzhou Scientific Observation and Experiment Field Station of the Ministry of Agriculture for Ecological Systems
in the Loess Plateau Area, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Submission date: 2018-08-24
Final revision date: 2018-10-07
Acceptance date: 2018-10-18
Online publication date: 2019-09-09
Publication date: 2019-09-17
Corresponding author
Fu-Ping Tian
The Lanzhou Scientific Observation and Experiment Field Station of Ministry of Agriculture for Ecological System in the Loess Plateau Area, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2019;28(6):4147-4152
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ABSTRACT
Grassland tourism is a new form of grassland utilization based on grassland ecological environments.
Tourism is a double-edged sword that can solve poverty in pastoral areas, but it also causes ecosystem
degradation. The impact of tourism on alpine grassland was analyzed by the community and soil
properties. Results showed that the most immediate influences of grassland tourism are frequent
trampling and crushing. Tramping significantly decreases species diversity. Tourism reduced litter
biomass, soil nutrient supply and soil enzyme activities, thus adversely affecting the whole plant-soil
system. Therefore, this problem should attract decision makers’ attention to balance the relationship
between tourism management and economic benefits. Our results suggest that the premise of trade-off
between economic benefits and environmental protection is controlling the number of tourists during the
peak tourism season, which should be factored for achieving a win-win outcome to dispose of ecosystem
degradation and poverty in pastoral areas.