针对世界性的草原普遍退化, 以及人类利用的影响问题, 该文阐述了生态系统恢复、生态演替中气候顶极、环境变化与草原状态转移、放牧利用与干扰顶极, 以及人工辅助干预恢复, 提出了退化草原生态系统恢复的路径与状态模式。该文特别强调: 应该以生态系统为视角开展退化草原恢复, 而非仅考虑植被或土壤等单一过程; 同时注重干扰下的退化草原恢复, 其恢复状态可能存在多个选择。退化草原恢复包括3种基本方式: 1)依渐进式恢复的生态演替理论, 在环境条件较好, 退化程度处于中轻度的草原, 借助系统自组织性, 以“自然演替”能够达到顶极或近顶极状态; 2)人工辅助干预恢复: 对重度或极度退化草原, 突破由于非生物(土壤物理、养分等)与生物(植物定植、物种相互作用等)因素带来的限制, 使用工程、物理、化学及生物生态等方法, 可以恢复到某种平衡或稳定状态, 或者顶极状态; 3)放牧干扰恢复: 通过适度家畜放牧, 调控生态系统基本结构(物种组成、多样性)、主要过程(生产力形成、养分循环、反馈作用), 进而促进与维持较高的草原生态系统多功能性与稳定性, 对于处于中轻度的退化草原可以选择这种恢复方式。总之, 退化草原恢复的目标是实现其长期稳定的生态系统多功能性。

For the universal grassland degradation and associated human utilization in the world, authors expound ecosystem restoration, climate climax in ecological succession, environment change and grassland state transition, grazing and disturbance climax, restoration by human intervention, thereby put forward the restoration path and state model of the degraded grassland ecosystem. This paper emphasizes that the restoration of degraded grassland should be carried out from the perspective of ecosystem, rather than only vegetation or soil processes, because there will be multiple alternative restoration states for grasslands in the context of environmental change or human disturbance. Three basic restoration modes of degraded grassland and possible restoration states are described as the followings: (1) Gradual restoration according to natural succession: based on the theory of ecological succession, grasslands from light to moderate degradation under favorable environments might reach the climax or near climax state for a long time by the systematical self-organization. (2) Intervention restoration by human activity: for those severely or extremely degraded grasslands, it needs to break through a series of abiotic (soil structure, nutrients, etc.) and biotic (plant colonization, species interaction, etc.) restrictions, and restore to a certain equilibrium or stable state, even climax state by using engineering, physical, chemical or biological-ecological methods or practices. It will take a long-time. (3) Restoration by grazing disturbance: grassland ecosystem structure (species composition and diversity), productivity and nutrient processes could be regulated through light to moderate livestock grazing, thereby maintaining and promoting grassland ecosystem multifunctionality and stability. This restoration method can be selected for medium-mild degraded grasslands. In conclusion, the holistic goal of grassland restoration is to achieve its long-term stable ecosystem multifunctionality.