Financial inclusion is a key policy for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals worldwide. However, emerging evidence has challenged the universal effectiveness of this policy. Combining a cross-sectional socio-economic and ecological survey with regional macro-economic and climatic data, we undertook an integrated causal analysis of the impact of financial inclusion policy on the Inner Mongolian herder social-ecological system. Exposure to economic globalization and climate change threatened herder livelihoods via increased feed costs and reduced livestock sales prices. Financial inclusion loans were beneficial for herders with large grassland plot size who used their traditional ecological knowledge to adapt via seasonal herd mobility. However, most herders were sedentary, constrained by small plot size, and used financial inclusion loans to reserve livestock and maintain high stocking densities. This strategy exposed them to inflated feed costs, increased their debt, and led to widespread grassland degradation. The results illustrate the limitations of financial inclusion policy in achieving sustainable development when people are trapped in poverty, subject to novel social-ecological contexts, and their ability to adapt is compromised. Transformative adaptations based on community cooperation, traditional knowledge and institutions, complementary public policies, and technological innovation are crucial to support financial inclusion policy and enhance sustainable development.

Soil nematodes are one of the most important components in terrestrial ecosystems and the critical factor driving the belowground process. The grasslands of Northeast China have been subject to mowing for ages, which theoretically should have had substantial effects on the processes associated with soil nematodes. However, relevant studies have barely been conducted to date. This study examined variations in soil nematode abundance, biomass, diversity, and community structure, with respect to varying mowing frequencies. The results showed that a higher mowing frequency significantly reduced the abundance of soil nematodes, biomass, diversity, and community structure stability in the ecosystem, while intermediate mowing frequency enhanced these parameters to different extents. Our findings indicate that the changing patterns of the nematode indices with mowing frequency conform to the intermediate disturbance theory. This study provides a theoretical basis for formulating grassland-related management measures and maintaining the stability of grassland ecosystems.