Forests play an important role in the process of land degradation and restoration. As a national key ecological project for protecting natural forest, the natural forest resource protection project was implemented in 17 provinces for nearly 20 years. As the core stakeholders and main force for protecting forest resources, rangers have a clear, more objective and comprehensive perception of the policy process, problems and forest ecological changes than farmers. This study introduces public value theory, builds a performance evaluation system that combines the “process-outcome” of ecological construction and uses the GRA-TOPSIS and obstacle tracking model to investigate the performance and obstacle factor of natural forest resource protection project from rangers’ perspective. GRA-TOPSIS is an optimal sequence technique for ideal solution optimization that combines the gray correlation method. The empirical results showed the overall performance of the natural forest resource protection project is good, the relative gray closeness that indicated the process dimension value of the natural forest resource protection project (NFRPP) is 0.663 which higher than the outcome dimension. It reflected the characterization and value level of overall and dimensions performance of NFRPP in Qilian Mountain. The rangers’ support evaluation is the highest, followed by the ecological outcome, sustainability and stability. The key obstacle is the support of local farmers, the social and economic outcome of the project. The natural forest resource protection project has shortcomings in its management system, function setting and support mechanism and urgently improved it from the resource system, resource unit, management system and user. These results are important to promote better implementation of such ecological projects, to enhance the project stability and the regional sustainable development.

Shrub biomass estimation is valuable in assessing ecological health, soil, and water conservation capacity, and carbon storage in arid areas, where trees are scattered, and shrubs are usually dominant. Most shrub biomass estimation models are derived from trees designed for trees, yet shrubs and trees show significant differences in morphology. However, current biomass estimation methods specifically for shrubs are still lacking. This study aimed to test various predictors’ performance in estimating shrub biomass, particularly providing an improved cone frustum volume model as a new predictor. Seven different variables, including three univariates and four composite variables, were selected as predictors in allometric models. Six dominant shrub species of different sizes and morphology in the semi-arid Hunshandake Sandy Land in Inner Mongolia were selected as samples to test the seven predictors’ performances in above-ground biomass estimation. Results showed that the single measurements performed poorly and were not suitable for shrub biomass estimation. The allometric models, including crown-related volumes as predictors, performed much better and were considered ideal for common shrub biomass estimation. The improved cone frustum volume model had more flexible geometric for shrubs of different shapes and sizes, with high fitting accuracy and stability among all the volume predictors. Therefore, we recommend the volume of an inverted cone frustum with a crown diameter and ground diameter as the long and short diameters as an excellent predictor of shrub biomass estimation, especially when studies involve various shrub species, and a general model would be needed.

As national policy implementers and regional development planners, local government managers have a clearer, more objective and comprehensive understanding of ecological changes than herdsmen. Thus, they have a significant impact on the sustainable development of grassland resources and agricultural and pastoral areas. In this paper, grassland ecological change and related factors in different stages were investigated by means of questionnaires and structured interviews, and the adjustment strategies of grazing prohibition policy were studied. The perception of local government managers was that there was an improvement in grassland ecology, coverage, quality, yield, and in species richness in the early grazing prohibition period. There was, furthermore, an obvious improvement in the intermediate stage and a significant improvement with some degradation in its current stage. The grazing prohibition policy urgently needs to be adjusted according to the management pattern and to the limited time and space. It is necessary to improve the standard of ecological compensation and bolster herdsmen livelihoods, diversification, and non-agriculturalization. Based on the non-equilibrium theory and polycentric governance, the multi-central grassland governance and control system should be created in future.

Alpine precipitation is an important component of the mountain hydrological cycle and may also be a determinant of water resources in inland river basins. In this study, based on field observation data of the upper Shule River and daily precipitation records of the Tuole weather station during 2009–2015, temporal distribution characteristics of alpine precipitation and their vertical differentiation were evaluated mainly using percentages of precipitation anomalies (Pa), coefficient of variation (Cv), precipitation concentration degree (PCD) and concentration period (PCP). The results indicated that the inter-annual variability of annual precipitation was generally small, with a Pa that was only somewhat larger in low altitude zones for individual years; the inter-annual fluctuation of monthly precipitation increased noticeably, but the Cv and precipitation can be described as a power function. Annual distribution was basically consistent; more than 85.6% of precipitation was concentrated during the period from May to September; PCD ranged between 0.71 and 0.83 while the PCP was located within the 37th–41st pentads. Diurnal variation of precipitation was defined, mainly occurring from 1500 to 0100 Local Standard Time, and displayed a vertical change that was dominated by precipitation intensity or precipitation frequency. The temporal distribution of alpine precipitation has a noticeable vertical differentiation, and this is likely to originate from the diversity of precipitation mechanisms in mountainous terrain areas.