Grasslands are the largest terrestrial ecosystem in China and serve as a crucial resource base for livestock production and pastoral household livelihoods. However, a substantial share of China's grasslands has experienced varying degrees of degradation. Promoting natural grassland restoration is therefore of critical importance for mitigating degradation, enhancing grassland productivity, and improving herders' incomes. Yet, empirical work still centers on technical measures, leaving restoration's income effects and mechanisms underexamined. Using household survey data from 2021 to 2024 in the Hulun Buir pastoral communities of Inner Mongolia, this study employs a propensity score matching (PSM) approach to address potential self-selection bias and identify the effects of participation in a pilot natural grassland restoration program centered on nutrient regulation on livestock production and local household income. The results show that participation in the restoration program significantly increases herders' livestock income by raising both livestock inventory and off-take levels, thereby contributing to higher total household income. Mechanism analysis further indicates that the program improves grass yield, which reduces supplementary feeding costs and enables herders to expand livestock production, ultimately driving income growth without increasing grazing pressure on grasslands. Given that the agronomic performance of practices such as soil nutrient regulation is highly sensitive to climatic variability, we advocate for proactive management of technology-related risks and for systematic enhancement of soil nutrient regulation and complementary agronomic measures. Such steps are essential to balance ecological and economic objectives, safeguard the durability of restoration outcomes, and ensure sustainable scaling.
QIU et al. (Thu,) studied this question.