Progress in the study on the ecological compensation of grassland

Deterioration of the vast grasslands ecological environment in China has accelerated due to intensification of human activities. This deterioration has become an obstacle to economic and social development. Recognition that the grassland ecosystem is very important and irreplaceable has resulted in the investigation of ways to limit the deterioration. One system is ecological compensation in which those who obtain benefits pay costs of ecological services that serve to restore and maintain the ecosystem. Literature from China and abroad relating to ecological compensation, including the definition and rationale, the mechanism of ecological compensation were reviewed in this study. The types of studies in the previous studies were analyzed, including the research methods, contents and scale of ecological compensation. The direction of future studies on grassland ecological compensation was also discussed.