自然圣境的生态保护功能及其实现路径

The Role of Sacred Sites in Protecting Ecosystems and Biodiversity and the Way of Improving Their Protection Effectiveness

自然圣境是对人类具有特殊精神意义的自然区域,自然圣境除了具有精神文化价值,在生态环境保护方面也发挥了重要作用。自然圣境的生态保护功能主要体现在保护生态环境和自然资源以及为珍稀濒危物种提供栖息地。目前,因旅游和工程项目过度开发、土地利用变化、所属权转移、价值观念的变化和自然环境变迁等因素,造成自然圣境的生态保护功能面临挑战。面对这些问题,应加强对自然圣境及其生态保护功能的正确认知,将自然圣境纳入保护地和生态补偿体系当中,发挥自然圣境生态文化的灵魂作用,并制定与自然圣境保护相关的法律法规。

In addition to its important spiritual and cultural values,sacred natural sites have played an important role in protecting various ecosystems and their functions and services.These protection roles of sacred sites mainly include the protection of natural resources and environment and conservation of biodiversity by protecting the habitats of many rare and endangered species.At present,many sacred sites in at home and abroad are facing challenges due mainly to over exploitation of resources,such as mining and tourism,constructions of infrastructure,such as highways and railways,and land conversion,such as deforestation and urbanization,within and around the sacred sites.To deal with those problems,we propose the following strategies and measures:(1)Promoting the awareness of the local communities on the importance of sacred sites;(2)Incorporating sacred sites into various systems of protected areas to better protect species and ecosystems;(3)Including sacred sites in eco-compensation programs to subsidize individuals and communities who have made efforts to protect the sacred sites from damages or over-use;and(4)Protecting sacred sites through legislations and regulations.