Substantial gaps between the protection of biodiversity hotspots in alpine grasslands and the effectiveness of protected areas on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

Human activities such as livestock overgrazing, are the main reasons for the degradation of alpine grasslands and biodiversity loss on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), China. With an aim toward maintaining sustainable development of alpine grasslands, protected areas (PAs) are important for biodiversity protection and to reduce the negative impacts of human activities. This study was conducted in the east of the QTP to clarify the distribution...