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Do roads lead to grassland degradation or restoration? A case study in Inner Mongolia, China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 August 2011

Xiangzheng Deng ,
Jikun Huang ,
Qiuqiong Huang ,
Scott Rozelle  and
John Gibson
Xiangzheng Deng
Affiliation:
Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resource Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 11A Datun Road, Chaoyang, Beijing, 100101, China. Email: [email protected]
Jikun Huang
Affiliation:
Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resource Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. Email: [email protected]
Qiuqiong Huang
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, USA. Email: [email protected]
Scott Rozelle
Affiliation:
Freeman Spogli Institute, Stanford University, USA. Email: [email protected]
John Gibson
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, University of Waikato, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

We use satellite remote sensing data of grassland cover in Inner Mongolia, China to test whether the existence of and the size of roads in 1995 is associated with the nature of the grassland in 2000 and/or if it affects the rate of change of the grassland between 1995 and 2000. The regression results show that the impact of roads on grassland cover depends on the nature of the resource. When the grassland is composed of relatively high quality grassland, roads lead to degradation, whereas when grassland resources are sparse, access to a road results in the restoration of the resource.

Type
Research Article
Information
Environment and Development Economics , Volume 16 , Issue 6 , December 2011 , pp. 751 - 773
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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