LANZHOU－Yang Qiang, 33, a herder from Northwest China's Gansu province, checks on his flock of sheep grazing in a cornfield every two hours to make sure they are adapting well in their new habitat at the foothills of Qilian Mountains.

Since 2015, the herdsman in the Sunan Yugu ethnic autonomous county has been unperturbed about livestock feed in winter, as he and his herd migrate from highland pasture to downhill farms to spend the winter.

"With the onset of winter, the highland pasture where I live is no longer able to provide enough forage for livestock, resulting in a poor survival rate for lambs," Yang explains.

Over the past few years, 506 households of shepherds like Yang in the mountainous county have driven their flocks downhill to the farms instead of grazing in highland throughout the winter months of October to March, when agricultural lands are barren.

Thanks to a government-aided ecological development initiative, a balance between shepherds' livelihoods and environmental conservation has been struck.

By the end of 2020, the average grass height in the county's pastures had increased to 19 centimeters from 15 cm in 2015, and the total vegetation coverage of the grassland has increased to over 78 percent from 67 percent in 2015, official data showed.

An Yufeng, director of the county's animal husbandry and veterinary service center, says that before the winter migration, herders contact the farms in advance so that the epidemic prevention department can be informed to carry out relevant testing on their animals.

"In the past, shepherds used to follow their herds in their high-altitude ranches in winter. Now, on the plain, living conditions are much better for us," Yang says.

The winter migration strategy has also financially benefited the herders. Yang has seen his annual income increase by 30,000 yuan ($4,710).

He says that the grass on his 3,000 mu (200 hectares) ranch has grown denser and taller since his herd left in winter.

The lush green pastures of the region have emerged as a summertime attraction for tourists, with many herdsmen cashing in on bed-and-breakfast business there.

Xinhua