Piospheres and Pastoralists: Vegetation and Degradation in Steppe Grasslands
The Mongolian plateau in East Asia is part of a new hotspot of land cover change. Recent human activity and natural forces have degraded grasslands in northern China with the southern Mongolia steppe similarly vulnerable. Investigating vegetation patterns at piospheres (the area around water points) can identify herder influence on pasture conditions. Through fieldwork and remote sensing this paper examines plant density and species richness at water sources to establish land cover patterns in two Mongolian provinces where overgrazing is thought to be the major cause of degradation.