| Abstract: | The sustainable development of rangeland ecosystems, the vital ecosystems providing many important ecosystem services for
millions of people in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region is presently confronted with a number of challenges. A coupled natural
and human systems approach is needed to facilitate effective collaboration among social scientists, bio/physical scientists,
and management practitioners to better understand how people interact with the environment in which they live. In pursuing
this argument, three existing case studies, i.e. Indigenous rangeland management in Himalayan Nepal, Cultivated Grassland
Systems in Eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and Grassland Restoration in Central Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau were synthesized
in this paper to address the importance of coupled natural and human systems in promoting sustainable rangeland ecosystem
management in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) region. It was concluded although the research sites and objectives were very
different, that these three case studies had many commonalities that addressed the complex interactions and feedbacks between
natural and human systems, and highlighted the integration of various tools and techniques from the ecological and social
sciences, as well as other disciplines, in sustainable rangeland management. These case studies have offered unique interdisciplinary
insights into complexities that cannot be gained from ecological or social research alone. The results from these case studies
can be applied to many other coupled systems at local, national, and global levels. |
