{"id":3690,"date":"2023-05-26T08:12:22","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T08:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepoetryofscience.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=3690"},"modified":"2023-05-26T08:12:22","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T08:12:22","slug":"blood-on-the-grasslands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/thepoetryofscience\/3690\/blood-on-the-grasslands\/","title":{"rendered":"Blood on the Grasslands"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the land of clouds
\nthe roof of the world
\nbegins to creak,
\nits glistening canvas
\nstretched thin beneath
\nthis heaven\u2019s vault.
\nMirrored lakes shimmer
\nlike sapphires,
\ncaught beneath an
\nocean of grasslands
\nwhose waves of jade
\nrun red
\nwith the consequential strength
\nof our empty,
\nfalse
\nconvictions.
\nRodents fall like lambs,
\ntheir lifeless forms
\nflooding vibrant fields
\nwith questions
\nthat refuse
\nto disappear.
\nOur oppressive interventions
\nnow made plain
\nfor all
\nto see.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A plateau pika, which Chinese government agencies currently plan to eradicate in their efforts to protect the grasslands (Image Credit: KA Zhuo Cai Rang).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This poem is inspired by recent research<\/a>, which has found that current measures to protect grasslands in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are damaging the ecosystem and should be stopped.<\/p>\n

The Qinghai\u2013Tibetan Plateau in central Asia has implemented a policy over the past four decades to eradicate burrowing mammals such as rodents. This policy was conceived under the assumption that these animals compete with livestock for food and cause grassland degradation. These assumptions, however, lack concrete theoretical or experimental evidence to back them up. Unravelling the mystery of these burrowing creatures, their role in keeping our grasslands thriving, and the potential fallout of their disappearance creates an ecological puzzle. Could their eradication unexpectedly tip the scales, disrupting sustainable livestock grazing and turning vibrant grasslands such as the Qinghai\u2013Tibetan Plateau into barren grounds?<\/p>\n

This new research challenges the existing eradication policy and uncovers counterintuitive findings. The study has revealed that these previous eradication attempts have actually led to a boom in the burrowing mammal population due to more food availability and fewer predators. Moreover, the study found that these mammals and livestock don’t share the same diet. Hence, eliminating these creatures promotes growth of plants they prefer, not the ones livestock do. The study proposes a different approach: instead of wiping out burrowing mammals, control their numbers using nature-friendly strategies. For instance, creating habitats for their natural predators and reducing over-grazing can encourage the growth of taller grass, which these mammals dislike. This way, we can keep grasslands healthy, sustain livestock grazing, and minimise human-wildlife conflicts.<\/p>\n