A review of grassland ecosystem service and human well-being inXilingol League and Xilinhot City

Xilingol League has undergone great changes since the 1980s, with regard to the grassland ecosystem, industrial structure, and the life of herdsmen. Xilinhot City has attracted extensive attention from researchers and practitioners because it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Xilingol. We conducted a systematic review of sustainable studies in this area to understand the relationship between grassland ecosystem service and human well-being. The results showed that the research topics mainly include grassland ecosystem, herdsmen wellbeing, climate change and natural disasters, industrial structure and development, and urban ecology. Under the impacts of climate change, disasters, and grassland/livestock ownership reforms, the grassland ecosystem services in Xilingol and Xilinhot, especially the provisioning service, showed a decline, which had an important impact on the income and well-being of herdsmen. In order to restore the grassland, a series of policies were introduced and achieved some successes. The main industries include animal husbandry, mining, and tourism. Animal husbandry is the most important source of income for most herdsmen, and it is affected by the grassland ecosystem, climate, and human activities. The mining industry has increased government income and promoted the development and construction of cities, but it has had many negative impacts on the local ecological environment and life of herdsmen. Transformation of the development of the mining industry to improve the well-being of local residents and sustainability is a major challenge for Xilinhot City. Tourism accounts for a small share of economic growth, but it is growing rapidly and is expected to become an important source of income for herdsmen to increase their diversity of livelihood. We found that previous studies mainly focused on a single issue, while few studies on comprehensive sustainability have been conducted. It is necessary to conduct comprehensive interdisciplinary research and provide a scientific basis for local sustainability research.