Abstract

This research aims to assess the driving factors hindering the effectiveness of these protected areas implemented to counter land degradation and evaluate the services provided by these ecosystems in the North West of China. With Ningxia province, Yanchi County chosen as experimental research area, preferential sampling technique was used with 50 plots of (quadrat) laid for plant community characteristics survey combined with species and biomass measures mainly in three different areas, along with unit price system of evaluating ecosystem services values based on Costanza’s evaluation model also used to quantify the V_ei (Ecosystem Service Value). The results showed both up and down trends of vegetation characteristics in protected areas including E, E1 and E2 year-round enclosure, seasonal and un-enclosed area respectively where anthropogenic disturbance has been prohibited for natural restoration. Moreover, compared to 1999, the total ecosystem service values of the year 2004 increased by 6.75% and those for 2010, 2015 increased by 7.28 and 5.55% respectively, indicating some positive effects of the protected on the total value of the grassland ecosystem service. In addition, regulatory and support services occupied the largest proportions: 52.08 and 32.69% respectively, followed by supply and cultural services 8 and 7% respectively. These results prove that the protected areas are improving the grasslands by reducing the soil loss and increasing their ecosystem services provision. Thus, sustainability and guarantee of the ability of the arid ecosystem to continue to provide the ecological services is important in the management taking into account the limiting factors.

Key words: Land degradation, limiting factors, sustainable management, Ecosystem Service Value