The rangelands of Northern China were exploited by traditional grazing systems for centuries and their vegetation remained sound, but over the past 60 years they have become seriously degraded, often to desertification. Conversion of rangeland by incomers, often unsustainable, greatly reduced the available area. Redistribution of grazing rights, collectivization, decollectivization and allocation of small family units broke up old management systems and blocked herd mobility. Emphasis changed from rangeland condition to output of livestock products.

This book concentrates on the rangeland users’ perspective, while recognizing the wide environmental and social impact of these vast ranges. The final three chapters discuss: Land tenure arrangements, property rights and institutional arrangements; Monitoring and evaluation as tools in rangeland management; and How can the next degradation episode be prevented?

Case studies on the degradation and recovery of eight areas provide the background, covering the breadth of China and a wide altitude range. They describe alarming and serious degradation with little on successful recovery. Technical means of rehabilitation have had very limited success because of structural problems, including population pressure.

The book has been only lightly edited. Botanical names are often given with the genus as an initial only: many names are mispelled and some are fantastical. Some maps contain spelling mistakes and in one chapter the summary contradicts the text as to the location of the site.

This is a valuable addition to pastoral literature, bringing together rich, but scattered, information on China's rangelands in a form accessible to international readers. It should be in the libraries of institutions dealing with traditionally managed drylands, not only in China.