Map of Inner Asia

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“Much of northern China, Mongolia, and southern Siberia is rolling grassland, used since ancient times for raising livestock. Inner Asia contains over 6% of the world’s grassland—more than two and a half million square kilometers, an area more than seven times the size of Germany. Historically, most of this region was inhabited by Mongolian mobile pastoralists (nomads), who lived in felt tents and moved with their herds to different seasonal pastures. In contrast to Mongolia, the Chinese and Russian parts of Inner Asia have in this century seen dramatic changes in their patterns of land use as a result of very different state policies. These regions have very similar grassland environments, and thus a comparison of the landscapes of these different regions can reveal the effects of three alternative approaches to managing the Inner Asian environment—Russian, Chinese, and Mongolian.”

Science

DOI: 10.1126/science.281.5380.1147

Sneath, David. “State Policy and Pasture Degradation in Inner Asia”. Science 21 Aug 1998: Vol. 281, Issue 5380, pp. 1147-1148.

© 1998 American Association for the Advancement of Science

1998