Quantifying Grazing Intensity in China Using High Temporal Resolution MODIS Data

Grassland as a distinct landscape type sustains biological and cultural diversity. However, its use at an unprecedentedly high intensity has had a disastrous impact on grassland ecosystems, with degeneration occurring nationwide. Traditional management policy, drafted according to the stocking rate from livestock statistics and/or in situ assessment, seems to have played no role in alleviating this trend. A major cause is the failure of decision making to consider spatial heterogeneity in the impact of grazing on grassland. To address this issue, high temporal resolution moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer data were used to develop a new indicator, named the grazing intensity index (GII), for quantifying grazing intensity (GI). The new index was compared with two traditional approaches and the results demonstrated that GII could substitute for both of them to quantify GI.