A new approach for the classification of grassland utilization in Inner Mongolia -- based on ecological sites and state-and-transition models

Rational utilization of grassland is crucial to regional sustainable development, in which the classification of grassland utilization is the foundation. Traditional classification mainly focuses on a single attribute of grassland, and it is necessary to develop a new index to comprehensively classify grassland. Based on ecological site (ES) and state-and-transition model (STM) theory, 164 sample points of Inner Mongolia grassland were divided into four ecological sites and eight grassland utilization units by cluster analysis. We found that (1) the classification of grassland utilization based on ES and STM has a strict nested hierarchical structure; (2) soil texture is the main driving factor of grassland utilization units; and (3) the new grassland utilization unit integrates ecological and economic attributes, which is more suitable for grassland management. This new method, combined with remote sensing technology, will show great potential in regional grassland management.