Geo-ecological transect studies in northeast Tibet (Qinghai, China) reveal human-made mid- Holocene environmental changes in the upper Yellow River catchment changing forest to grassland

Abstract

Geo-ecological transect studies in the pastures of the upper catchment of the Huang He (99°30’–100°00’E/35°30’– 35°40’N; 3,000–4,000 m a.s.l., Qinghai province, China) revealed evidence that pastures replace forests. Plot-based vegetation records and fenced grazing exclosure experiments enabled the identification of grazing indicator plants for the first time. The mapping of vegetation patterns of pastures with isolated juniper and spruce forests raise questions as to the origin of the grasslands, which are widely classified as “natural” at present. Soil investigations and charcoal fragments of Juniperus (8,155 ± 63 uncal BP) and Picea (6,665 ± 59 uncal BP) provide evidence of the wider presence of forests. As temperatures and rainfall records undoubtedly represent a forest climate, it is assumed that the present pastures have replaced forests. Circumstantial evidence arising from investigations into the environmental history of the Holocene effectively substantiates this theory.