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SUMAMAD Activities Sustainable Management of the Restored Hunshandake Sandland: Basic Scientific Research and Income Generation Progress Report of SUMAMAD Activities 2011 Image © Thomas Schaaf Sustainable Management of Marginal Drylands (SUMAMAD) (Phase 2) Hunshandake Sand area/Xilin Gol Biosphere Reserve in China Annual Report for the Year of 2011 1. Project Site Information a. Name of project site Hunshandake Sand area/Xilin Gol Biosphere Reserve in China b. Name of Project Sustainable Management of the Restored Hunshandake Sandland: Basic Scientific Research and Income Generation c. Partner Institution Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Remin University of China, Shandong Agriculture University, Hebei Agriculture University d. Team leader and deputy team leader Professor Jiang Gaoming, Ph.D Dr Liu Menzhen Team leader Associate professor State Key Laboratory of Vegetation Deputy team leader Science and Environmental Change State Key Laboratory of Vegetation Institute of Botany Science and Environmental Change Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Botany 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan Chinese Academy of Sciences 100093, Beijing 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan P. R. China 100093 Beijing Tel: +8610 62836286 P.R. China Fax: +8610 62590843 Tel.: +8610 62836506 Mobile: 15801536801 Fax: +8610 62830843 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] e. Project team members Dr Zheng Yanhai Dr Yu Shunli Associate Professor of the Institute of Assistant Professor of the Institute of Botany Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Dr Li Yonggeng Mr Wei Jiguang Associate Professor of the Institute of Doctoral candidate of the Institute of Botany Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Professor Ma Zhong Miss Li Caihong Director of Environmental School of Doctoral candidate of the Institute of the Remin University of China Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Dr Wang Xiqin Associate professor Mr Li Yong Environmental School of the Remin Doctoral candidate of the Institute of University of China Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Dr Ning Tangyuan Associate professor of the Shandong Miss Wang Binxue Agriculture University Master student of the Institute of Botany Mr Wu Guanglei Chinese Academy of Sciences Doctoral candidate of the Shandong Agriculture University Miss Meng Jie Master student of the Institute of Professor Li Yuling Botany Heibei Agriculture University Chinese Academy of Sciences 2 Executive Summary In 2011, four scientific researches activities were undertaken on the sustainable use of natural resources in the Hunshandake Sandland: a) The first activity comprised sampling and chemical analyses of nutrients in feeds consumed by free-range chickens. b) The second identified feed resources for free-range chickens in the Sandland. Higher selective feeding was noted for plants from the Chenopodiaceae, Leguminosae and Compositae families, and lower selective feeding for species from the Gramineous family. c) The third monitored changes in net primary production (NPP) of sandland after the shift of land use, by conducting two north–south transects (5 km long and 100 m, perpendicular to the main sand ridges, during the growing season. d) The fourth ascertained land-use patterns by using satellite images, taken with GIS technology, to calculate different land coverage (e.g., meadow, steppe, spare elm tree, desert, crop farm). Based on the success of the SUMAMAD project and the ten-year restoration of the degraded Hunshandake Sandland ecosystem, the project team proposed an ambitious plan: to establish the largest Eco-husbandry Industry Demonstration Region in China’s grassland. This motion was fully discussed at different levels by the Director of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Deputy President of CAS, and involved dialogue between officials of the Life Science Bureau of CAS and the Xiligol League of Inner Mongolia, and noted scientists from different research institutes and universities. The new land-use patterns now include chicken farming, baby cattle breeding and organic tofu production, each of which has have been tested with five families. Ordinary families in Bayinhushu Gacha have 2000 mu (1 ha=15 mu) of grassland. This triple land-use pattern occupies merely 5%, 10% and 15% of the families’ land areas, respectively for chicken farming, baby cattle breeding and organic tofu production. However, the income increased from 50% to 100%. The 15 families are basically satisfied with the resulting income, even though their land was used for other purposes such as biodiversity and carbon fixation. A national seminar was held in Beijing in 2011, with delegates from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Agriculture Academy of Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Inner Mongolia Agriculture University, Lanzhou University, China Agriculture University, Arizona State University (USA), and a reporter from the online news site, Science Times. The main topic was the establishment of an eco-husbandry special region in Inner Mongolia to enhance the sustainable development of the region’s economy and society. Noted scientists, including two academics specializing in China’s grassland research and ecology studies, attended the national seminar. Six research papers together with four media reports concerning the achievements of the SUMAMAD Hunshandake Sandland project have been published. Although there remain difficulties in conducting the new income-generation activities, an increasing number of local people and even local officials will hopefully become involved once the government realizes the importance of the demonstration project, particularly if the State Council accepts the recommendation of the scientists from the SUMAMAD project. 3. Project Activities in 2011 3.1. Fostering scientific drylands research 3.1.1 Sampling and chemical analysis of nutrients in feeds consumed by free-range chickens An innovative experiment in improving dryland livestock production has been conducted since 2005 in the project site of Hunshandake Sandland. According to the main finding of SUMAMAD Phase I, the sandland could be restored by natural processes. However, the key to the sustainable development of husbandry and local society is to use less land while producing greater profit. A solution was therefore proposed to replace cattle and goat with poultry in grassland. The hypothesis is that poultry causes less destruction to the sandland and creates higher economic feedback. Grassland not only provides free space for poultry, but also natural feeds. It was therefore crucial to know what kind of nutrients from what kind of herb species the free-range chickens consumed. During 2011, the project teams sampled in particular, herb species, and chemically analysed the nutrients found in different organs (e.g. leaves, seeds and twigs). Some 15 native herbs were common in the free-range chicken farming experimental plots. Ten species were sampled: Iris lacteal var. Chinensis, Astragalus adsurgens, Medicago lupulina, Taraxacum mongolicum, Artemisia tanacetifolia, Thermopsis lanceolata, Potentulla sericea, Carex duriuscula, Ranunculus japonicus, Leymus chinensis. Five hundred grams of each of the species was sampled and sundried in the grassland. However, the samples were dried in an electric stove at 80 °C prior to chemical analysis (Figure 1). All the samples were analysed for water content, crude protein content, crude fat content, nitrogen-free extract, coarse fibre content and nitrogen free extract content and ash. Each analysis was undertaken three times. Figure 1. Chemical analysis of the plants samples (Photo: Professor Jiang Gaoming). Free-range chickens have strong selective feeding behaviours with regard to grassland species. They primarily prefer grass blades, but have different selective feeding patterns for common plants growing in the Hunshandake sandland, in particular, higher selective feeding on plants from the Chenopodiaceae, Leguminosae and Compositae families, and lower selective feeding on plants from the Gramineous family. The feeding behaviours of free-range chicken demonstrated a close relationship between feeding amounts and chemical content. Except for coarse fibre, which displayed a negative correlation, there were significantly positive relations among grass-feeding amounts and crude protein, crude fat and nitrogen free extract contents (Figure 2). 蛋白质 含量（%） 脂 肪含量（ %） 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 0 2 4 6 8 a b 6 (g/d) 4 2 2 R = 0.463 R = 0.378 P < 0.01 P < 0.01 日食草量 2 0 8 c d R2 = 0.754 2 R = 0.668 6 P < 0.01 P < 0.01 (g/d) 4 日食草量 2 0 10 15 20 25 30 35 30 35 40 45 50 粗纤维含量 (%) 碳水化合物（ %） Figure 2. Correlation between: feeding amount and the content of crude protein content (a), crude fat content nitrogen free extract (b), coarse fibre content (c) and nitrogen free extract content (d). Table 1. Comparison of free-range chicken feedstuffs by species and plant Number Family name Plant name Daily feedstuffs（g/each） 1 Astragalus adsurgens 5.89 ± 0.484(a) 2 Medicago lupulina 6.75 ± 0.144(a) 3 Caragana microphylia 0.33 ± 0.096(c) 4 Leguminosae Hedysarum laeve 0.38 ± 0.073(c) 5 Thermopsis lanceolata 0.78 ± 0.088(c) 6 Vicia sepium 1.80 ± 0.153(b) 7 Leymus chinensis 0.80 ± 0.115(a) 8 Puccinellia tenuiflora 1.50 ± 0.115(a) 9 Gramineae Lolium perenne L. 1.00 ± 0.347(a) 10 Cleistogenes squarrosa 0.90 ± 0.058(a) 11 Setaria viridis 0.89 ± 0.075(a) 12 Artemisia frigida 0(d) 13 Artemisia ordosica 0(d) 14 Taraxacum officinale 7.11 ± 0.131(a) Compositae 15 Echinops latifolius 1.70 ± 0.166(b) 16 Artemisia tanacetifolia 1.15 ± 0.076(b) 17 Artemisia subulata 0.75 ± 0.115(c) 18 Chenopodium glacilima 8.50 ± 0.289(a) 19 Chenopodiaceae Chenopodium acuminatum 6.17 ± 0.441(b) 20 Bassia dasyphylla 4.00 ±0.509(c) 21 Potentilla acaulis 2.89 ± 0.294(a) 22 Potentilla bifurca 2.67 ± 0.441(a) 23 Rosaceae Spiraea aquilegifolia 1.44 ± 0.222(b) 24 Rosa rugosa 2.58 ± 0.395(a) 25 Potentulla sericea 0(c) Note: Similar letters for the same row indicate non-significant difference at P<0.05 3.1.2 Identification of feed resources for free-range chicken in the sandland Chicken farming not only utilizes grassland space, but also uses the natural feeds.
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