Based on the historical background of the changes made to the grassland property rights system, the first part of this study restores the changes in property rights systems in six major autonomous counties of grassland animal husbandry production in Qinghai region, while the second part qualitatively analyzes the changes in grassland animal husbandry operations and herdsmen’s life under the changes in property rights. The results show that, with the reform of the property rights system, the range of livestock grazing has changed from large-scale nomadic grazing to regional rotational grazing. The herds are mainly yaks and Tibetan sheep, accounting for more than 90%, with the proportion of Tibetan sheep being higher than that of yaks. The numbers of total livestock and those on the market first rose and then declined, showing a dynamic balance in recent 10 years, while the number of breeding female animals has increased year by year. Artificial grass planting has gradually become popularized in pastoral areas. The time span of livestock supplementary feeding has increased and is more scientific, and the output value of animal husbandry has increased year by year, showing a strong peak associated with intensification. The proportion of the population engaged in animal husbandry has decreased gradually with increasing population in the region. The income sources of herdsmen have become more and more diversified and are increasing year by year, and the Engel coefficient presents a downward trend. The human environment in pastoral areas has improved. Based on the above analysis, suggestions for the sustainable and high-quality production of animal husbandry under the current grassland property rights system are put forward, as well as for the construction of green organic agricultural and livestock product export land in Qinghai Province.

Enhancing herders’ livelihoods is essential in balancing human–land interactions and promoting inclusive, sustainable development within protected area management. Using a household survey (N = 3539; March–June 2025) and a mixed-methods quantitative approach (weighted TOPSIS, obstacle degree, Spatial Durbin Model, and hierarchical regression), we assessed household livelihood resilience in the Lancang River source area of Sanjiangyuan National Park. Key findings included the following. Overall livelihood resilience was moderate, with a mean score of 0.411. This was characterized by a marked weakness in learning capacity (0.358) and relative strength in self-organization (0.431). Major barriers to resilience included cooperative participation (obstacle degree: 8.14%), education levels (7.58%), skills training (7.18%), household savings (6.40%), and information acquisition abilities (5.97%). The spatial analysis revealed a core-periphery pattern of resilience, evidenced by significant negative spatial autocorrelation (W×HLR coefficient = −0.787, p = 0.001), suggesting competitive interactions among villages. Within this pattern, cooperative participation induced significant positive spatial spillovers (W×X₈ coefficient = 0.147, p < 0.001), while benefits derived from information acquisition abilities remained localized (Direct Effect = 0.061, p < 0.001). The pathways to resilience were associated with household heterogeneity. Associations between key factors and resilience varied across demographic groups, with women and youth benefiting more from skills training and education. Livelihood strategies were linked to information utilization, with cordyceps-dependent households exhibiting greater sensitivity to information acquisition abilities (interaction coefficient = 0.009, p = 0.009). The institutional environment shaped organizational benefits; the positive association with cooperative participation diminished in the core protected zone (interaction coefficient = −0.011, p = 0.036). These findings highlight household heterogeneity as a key factor influencing diverse resilience pathways. They also emphasize the need for targeted, spatially specific, and group-oriented governance strategies.