草地被称为世界性的公共资源。以往对于草地退化的关注多侧重在技术研究和推广上。为揭示微观行为对公共资源利用的影响,以寻求有效途径保护具有重要生态战略意义的草地资源,论文利用2005年西部6省区17县231个农户数据以及2006和2007年环青海湖地区的实地调查经验,采用农户模型和计量分析方法,研究现有产权制度下牧民的草地管理行为对草地资源退化的影响。结果表明,牧民参与非农就业、扩大牧户的草场规模以及进行围栏和舍棚建设有利于减轻草场的退化。据此,提出以下政策建议:目前政府提供围栏和舍棚建设方面的相关政策扶持,同时,制定有利于牧民参与非农就业机会的政策,降低牧区的人口压力,可有效促进草地公共资源的可持续利用。

Grassland is worldwide common pool resource. Existing studies on grassland degradation focuses in particular on technical solutions, with little attention to the institutional and policy driving factors of herders' behavior and the resulting in environmental effects. This may explain why the degraded grassland area is still expanding at a rate of about 2 million ha per year, despite the huge efforts made by the Chinese government at different levels to control grassland degradation. By analyzing data from 231 households from 17 counties of 6 provinces in western China and field survey information around Qinghai Lake collected in 2006 and 2007, this paper gives some interesting insights into how the institutional, policy and market factors drive the main and basic decision-makers on rangeland management in western China, and what the resulting environmental consequences are from the herders' activity choices under the prevailing rangeland property rights. Based on the main findings, policy implications can be suggested: when managing rangelands towards degradation alleviation, government's support on financing fencing, shed construction and forbidden grazing are very needed by the micro decision-makers. Policies that can help herders to be more likely involved in off-farm employment and to increase their income are desirable. In addition, to reduce the population pressure on rangelands is undoubtedly an effective way of alleviating degradation.