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One of the great atlas of China's natural resources series. This atlas contains 64 color maps and detailed descriptions of Location and Area, Natural Conditions and Socio-Economic Background, Grassland Resources, Utilization of Grassland Resources to each map. It gives clear description of China's grassland distribution. A single mapsheet often tells the type, the production and nutrition classification, and the evolution of suitability for grazing of the said grassland, thus, enhancing its usefulness. Included in the atlas are various types of primeval rangelands with a vegetation coverage of more than 5%; the secondary rangelands; the sparse wood grasslands with tree crown density smaller than 0.3; the shrub rangelands of shrub density of less than 0.4; the alpinoarctic thickets suitable for grazing; the improved grassland; and the seeded grasslands. The smallest cartographic spot of 4 mm2 stands for rangeland, that of 2 mm2 for seeded grassland, while rangleland area of smaller than 4 km2 and improved grassland less than 2 km2 in area are not shown in this atlas. The atlas was made by using the medium scale maps grassland types, the maps of grassland classes and grades, and the maps of the grassland-use, and the recent TM and MSS satellite pictures by following the principles of systematic mapping. Position fixing was done by using the satellite pictures, the qualitative features of grassland was determined by using the statistics of some 100,000 sample grasslands and more than 200,000 yield tests of sample grassland, and the maps were finally made up by means of remote sensing and on-the-spot surveying. These are the finished ones of the systematic maps of the four level of county, prefecture, province and state. The atlas was worked on in an attempt to give a scientific expression on a single map sheet to the natural features and utilization forms of China's grassland resources, the types, classes and grades of grasslands, the seasonal grazing grasslands, grasslands for mowing and the improved grasslands. Contour lines that may reflect the distribution and utilization of grassland has been adopted, and as a result, the applicability and the scientific quality of the atlas has been improved. The atlas is a product of six years' concerted efforts of about 100 scientists specialized in grassland, vegetation, animal husbandry, soil and cartography from over 40 institutes of research, teaching and technology extension, etc. The grassland classification is formulated according to multiple factors like vegetation, climate, topography, soil and economic features of the herbage of the grassland. The top unit-type; the second unit-subtype; the tertiary unit--group; the quaternary unit- formation.

 

18 types:

1. Temperate meadow-steppe type;
2. Temperate steppe type;
3. Temperate desert-steppe type;
4.High cold meadow-steppe type;
5.High cold steppe type;
6.High cold desert-steppe type;
7.Temperate steppe-desert type;
8.Temperate desert type;
9.High cold desert type;
10.warm-temperate herbosa type;
11.warm-temperate shrub herbosa type;
12.Tropical herbosa type;
13. .Tropical shrub herbosa type;
14.Arid-tropical shrub herbosa scattered with trees type(savanna);
15.Lowland meadow type;
16. Montane meadow type;
17. Alpine meadow type;
18.Marsh type.

The class-Grade-method has been adopted for grassland evaluation in this atlas. "class" indicates the quality of the grassland, and "grade" shows the level of its productivity. The palatability, nutrition value and utilization characteristics of herbage's have been adopted to estimate the grasslands comprehensively, and to divide them into five classes, i.e. the excellent, the good, the fair, the, low and the poor. According to the acceptability of grassland, the natural grassland (rangeland) all over the country has been divided into grazing rangeland, dual-purpose rangeland for both grazing and mowing, and rangeland hard to be used. The rangeland used for grazing also can be divided into cold-season grazing ones, all year grazing ones and warm-season grazing ones

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