Reflection and reconstruction of the meaning and concept of grassland

Grassland is not only the material basis for the survival of the majority of farmers and herdsmen in China, but also the fundamental basis for the development of grassland animal husbandry. Continually, whether in academics or industry, a unified viewpoint of the meaning and concept of grassland does not exist, which leads to different grassland management departments comprising different understanding of grassland, and insufficient articulation and coordination in management. This study analyzes the meaning of “grassland” in the Grassland Law of China by sorting out the definitions of its meaning in agriculture and natural resources departments, and combining the concepts and application contexts of grassland and meadow in different disciplines. Accordingly, we proposed the correct use of the terms grassland and meadow at the legal level. In this study, the term ‘grassland’ includes natural grassland and artificial meadow. Natural grassland refers to the ecosystem composed of natural herbaceous plants, and artificial meadow refers to the grassland ecosystem improved by returning plow to grass and planting perennial herbaceous plants to restore the ecology. Places such as forage and fodder bases, where operations such as ploughing, sowing, fertilizing, watering, and harvesting are conducted annually, should not be included in the category of grassland as defined in the Grassland Law.