Spatiotemporal Evolution of Ecological Quality in Alpine Freshwater Lake Nature Reserves in the Past 20 Years

The Caohai Nature Reserve is one of the three major plateau freshwater lakes in China.Since the 1950s,human activities such as land reclamation and population relocation have greatly damaged Caohai.A rapid evaluation of the spatiotemporal evolution trend of the ecological quality of the Caohai Nature Reserve is significant for the maintenance and construction of the ecosystem in this area.The research is based on the Google Earth Engine(GEE)remote sensing cloud computing platform.Landsat TM/OLI images from May to October in five time periods:2000-2002,2004-2006,2009-2011,2014-2016,and 2019-2021 were obtained to reconstruct the optimal cloud image set by averaging the images in each time period.By constructing four ecological indicators:Greenness(NDVI),Wetness(Wet),Hotness(LST),and Dryness(NDBSI),and using Principal Component Analysis(PCA)method to obtain the Remote Sensing Ecological Index(RSEI)for the corresponding years,the spatiotemporal variation of ecological quality in the Caohai Nature Reserve over 20 years was analyzed.The results indicate:①the mean value of RSEI increased from 0.460 in 2000-2002 to 0.772 in 2019-2021,a 67.83%increase,indicating a significant improvement in the ecological quality of the reserve over the 20 years;②from the perspective of functional zoning of the Caohai Nature Reserve,the ecological quality of the core area showed a degrading trend,while the ecological quality of the buffer zone and experimental zone significantly improved;③with the implementation of ecological restoration projects,the ecological quality of the reserve gradually recovered and improved from 2014 to 2021.The trend of RSEI value changes is well correlated with human interventions,indicating that the PCA-based RSEI model can be effectively used for ecological quality assessment in lake areas.

Determination of Main Design Indicators of Patrol Road in Nature Reserves

In principle,nature reserves are managed and controlled according to the core area and the general control area.At present,there is no relevant design specification for the design system of patrol road in various protected areas.This paper analyzed the factors to be considered in determining the grade,horizontal and vertical design indicators,and cross section indicators of the patrol road in the protected area,and came up with the corresponding design indicators and parameters,so as to provide a certain reference for the subsequent patrol road design.

Present conditions and prospects of the researches on nature reserves in China

The construction of nature reserves in China is reviewed in this paper, mainly including the number, type, administration and distribution of nature reserves, the progress in research on biodiversity, evaluation, management, sustainable development of nature reserves in China is summarized briefly, and some development tendencies of research on nature reserves are put forward.

Stability of Land-use/Land-cover in National Nature Reserves of Jilin Province, China

National nature reserves are an important part of classification management on ecological protection in China. Taking the national nature reserves of Jilin Province as examples, this paper introduced the stability index by referring to the intensity model of landuse and land-cover change(LUCC), and analyzed the overall stability of land-use and land-cover(LULC) in the study area from the time interval level and land category level. The stability of LULC in different types of nature reserves was tracked and identified by extracting land-use change trajectory, and the land-use change trajectory was divided into three types: stable type, sub-stable type and unstable type. The impact of LUCC on regional ecosystem services was studied by using hotspot analysis and gravity center analysis. The results showed that: 1) The LULC in the study area was stable on the whole, and the proportion of stable land area reached 86.08%. The intensity of LUCC showed an increasing trend in recent 20 years, and the conversion of cultivated land and construction land was active in continuous time interval. 2) The stability of LULC in forest ecological reserves and wildlife reserves in the eastern part of Jilin Province was the highest, while that in inland wetland reserves and geological relic reserves in the central and western part of Jilin Province was lower.3) The LUCC in national nature reserves not only changed the value of its own ecosystem service function, but also affected the ecosystem service function of the whole region. The combination of intensity analysis and land-use change trajectory was used to identify the characteristics of stability of LULC in nature reserves, which was conducive to deeply understand the process of LUCC in national nature reserves and provided reasonable suggestions for regional ecological protection.

Research Progress on the Theory of Delineation and Zoning of Nature Reserves in China and Discussion of Strategies

The construction of nature reserves plays an essential role in protecting natural resources and the ecological environment,especially the conservation of rare and endangered species,which also has a vital function in maintaining the ecological security of the national territory.China has built up a comprehensive network of nature reserves after waves of development,but there are still many problems with the management of nature reserves,such as the definition of boundaries,zoning theory,zoning methods,and legal protection.The definition of boundaries is a tool for effective management of nature reserves,but achieving scientific and effective boundary definition is a difficult problem for the construction and management of reserves.It is also a problem that must be solved to achieve sustainable development.This paper compared three fundamental theories of the conservation of species in nature reserves,namely island biogeography,metapopulation,and landscape ecology,from connotations,applications and advantages,and disadvantages,and discussed the progress of theoretical research to provide valuable references for the definition and planning of effective boundaries of nature reserves.

Evaluating Conservation Effectiveness of Nature Reserves Established for Surrogate Species:Case of a Giant Panda Nature Reserve in Qinling Mountains,China

Many nature reserves are established to protect the habitat needs of particular endangered species of interest but their effectiveness for protecting other species is questionable.In this study,this effectiveness was evaluated in a nature reserve network located in the Qinling Mountains,Shaanxi Province,China.The network of reserves was established mainly for the conservation of the giant panda,a species considered as a surrogate for the conservation of many other endangered species in the region.The habitat suitability of nine protected species,including the giant panda,was modeled by using Maximum Entropy(MAXENT)and their spatial congruence was analyzed.Habitat suitability of these species was also overlapped with nature reserve boundaries and their management zones(i.e.,core,buffer and experimental zones).Results show that in general the habitat of the giant panda constitutes a reasonable surrogate of the habitat of other protected species,and giant panda reserves protect a relatively high proportion of the habitat of other protected species.Therefore,giant panda habitat conservation also allows the conservation of the habitat of other protected species in the region.However,a large area of suitable habitat was excluded from the nature reserve network.In addition,four species exhibited a low proportion of highly suitable habitat inside the core zones of nature reserves.It suggests that a high proportion of suitable habitat of protected species not targeted for conservation is located in the experimental and buffer zones,thus,is being affected by human activities.To increase their conservation effectiveness,nature reserves and their management zones need to be re-examined in order to include suitable habitat of more endangered species.The procedures described in this study can be easily implemented for the conservation of many endangered species not only in China but in many other parts of the world.

Impacts of the Wenchuan Earthquake on the Giant Panda Nature Reserves in China

The Wenchuan Earthquake that occurred in May of 2008 caused damages to large areas of Sichuan,Gansu,and Shaanxi provinces in China.Reports from local governments and related management agencies show that the giant panda nature reserves in the earthquake-hit areas were heavily damaged.Our estimates in this paper of the impacts of the earthquake on the giant panda in the earthquake-hit areas were made based on the interpretation of remote sensing images and information collected by field survey.A rapid assessment method was designed to estimate the damages of the earthquake on giant panda habitats.By using visual interpretation methods,we decoded the remote sensing images of the disaster area in the 49 giant panda nature reserves.Research results showed that the Wenchuan Earthquake and the succeeding secondary geological disasters caused great damages to the giant panda nature reserves and disturbed the normal life of the giant pandas there (e.g.,landscape fragmentation increased significantly).Undoubtedly,the life of the giant pandas there was affected.However,although the earthquake caused certain impacts on the giant pandas,it did not really threat their survival.Even so,we still strongly advocate for protection of the giant pandas,and have prioritized a couple of measures to be taken to restore the giant panda nature reserves in the earthquake-hit areas.

Coupling Relationship Analysis on Households′ Production Behaviors and Their Influencing Factors in Nature Reserves:A Structural Equation Model

A households′production behavior directly influences the quality of the environment and determines the successful development of nature reserves.Meanwhile,the households′production behaviors are complicated by interrelated factors,such as protection attitudes,resource endowment,and family wealth.This research evaluated households near the Crested Ibis National Nature Reserve in Shaanxi Province,acquiring data from 436 households around Yang County and Ningshan County in the south slope of Qinling Mountains,China.Based on the collected data,we developed a structural equation model to evaluate the coupling relationships among households′ protection attitudes,production behaviors,resource endowment,and family wealth.The results showed that:1) households with great resource endowment had more negative attitudes,probably due to their greater protection costs;2) the households with higher education levels had worse protection attitudes;3) the households with more family wealth were likely to use fewer fertilizers,pesticides,and firewood;4) the households with more resource endowment showed less production and management behaviors;5) the enhancement of households' attitudes improved production behaviors to protection the environment,but the effects were not statistically significant.Our results provide a basis for the government's protection policy making,exploring the effective management measures that are beneficial for both nature reserve management and community development.

Effectiveness of Nature Reserves for Natural Forests Protection in Tropical Hainan: a 20 Year Analysis

The establishment of nature reserves is a key approach for biodiversity conservation worldwide. However, there is a lack of unified methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of nature reserves, particularly in China, the world′s most populous nation supporting some of the most valuable biodiversity hotspots in the world. In this study, we conducted a long-term and large-scale analysis of the effectiveness of 20 of the earliest nature reserves established in Hainan Province, an island home to among the highest concentration of plants and animals in China. Remote sensing imagery from 1988, 1998, and 2008 were analyzed to investigate the temporal and spatial changes of natural forests in these nature reserves and surrounding areas. We also conducted transition matrix analysis and principle component analysis to identify the driving factors that affect the protection effectiveness of nature reserves. The results were as follows: 1) During the 20-year period from 1988 to 2008, natural forests coverage of the 20 studied nature reserves dropped 2.34 percentage points, whereas the natural forests coverage dropped 11.31 percentage points in a 0–5 km outside reserve buffer and 9.36 percentage points in a 5–10 km outside reserve buffer, indicating a significant inhibitory effect of the nature reserves on the loss of natural forests. 2) Natural forests coverage dropped in 60% of the studied nature reserves during the 20-year period, suggesting a poor protection effectiveness of these reserves, while the coverage proportion showed some increase(0%/yr–5%/yr) in other reserves. 3) Expansion of rubber and pulp forests as part of a booming economy were the main factors affecting the effectiveness of the nature reserves for conserving natural forests in Hainan Province. The results of this study provide an important empirical basis for the protection of natural forests in Hainan Province, which can be used as a blueprint for nature reserve evaluation in other places in China.

Protection and Quality Control of Wild Chinese Herbal Medicine Resources in Nature Reserves by Taking Longyuwan Scenic Spot Within Funiu Mountain Nature Reserve as an Example

This paper discussed how to protect and control the quality of wild Chinese herbal medicine resources in nature reserves by taking Longyuwan National Forest Park within Funiu Mountain Nature Reserve as an example. Through the combination of three methods including literature review, visiting and investigational studies, and field surveys, the data of investigation, collection and collation were analyzed. According to data of surveys, collection and collation, problems related to the protection of wild Chinese herbal medicine resources faced by Longyuwan Scenic Spot within Funiu Mountain Nature Reserve were also analyzed and protection strategies and quality control of wild Chinese herbal medicine resources in this nature reserve were discussed. It was expected that the results would provide important scientific references for the sustainable development, protection and quality control of wild Chinese herbal medicine resources within nature reserves.

Ecotourism in nature reserves in China:current situation,problems and solutions

Our presentation focuses on some important issues associated with ecotourism in nature reserves in China's Mainland. Conducting ecotourism in certain areas in nature reserves is important for its protection. However, some problems do exist because of special conditions in our society and in the current projects of nature reserves themselves, such as water and air pollution, unplanned construction of roads and facilities, damage of core zones and buffer zones, and confused ownership of nature reserves. These problems are discussed and solutions are proposed in detail, and we emphasize the participation of local communities in order to help residents fight against poverty.

Effectiveness of nature reserves for bird conservation in urban parks in Tokyo

In some urban parks in Tokyo,semi-natural habitat patches are maintained as nature reserves for birds,called bird sanctuaries.Bird censuses and vegetation surveys were conducted in eight urban parks in Tokyo from December 2015 to July 2016 to determine the effectiveness of bird sanctuaries on avian species composition.The relationship between avian species composition and environmental conditions was analyzed by partial redundancy analysis(partial RDA)using vegetation variables,number of visitors,presence or absence of reserves within the same park,area of wooded parts,and normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)in the surrounding area.The results of the partial RDA are as follows:(1)Area,lower vegetation cover,higher vegetation cover,tree species composition obtained from detrended correspondence analysis(DCA)on vegetation survey data,and NDVI in the surrounding area were considered as covariates and explained 17.4-33.6%of the total variation in bird species composition,(2)The presence or absence of sanctuary significantly explained bird species compositional variation regardless of season,indicating that the sanctuaries were beneficial for urban avoider species not only in the sanctuaries but also in the surrounding wooded area,and(3)Tree coverage within a 100 m range and leaf litter coverage also influenced avian species composition.We concluded that bird sanctuaries and other nature reserves can be beneficial to bird conservation,even within Tokyo.The positive effect of sanctuaries could be due to the limited influence of human presence and the developed vegetation within them.These reserves may play the role of core habitats within the studied urban parks.

Study on Disturbances and Its Effects on Nature Reserves

As a widespread natural phenomenon, disturbances are considered a discrete event occurring in a natural ecosystem within various spatial and temporal scales. The present paper discusses the types of disturbances and their influence on the ecologic system in nature reserves. It is shown that nature reserves are facing a great challenge dealing with these disturbances. A rational control for disturbances should be improved in order to promote the healthy development of nature reserves this could be done by enhancing the publicity and training of environment protection, coupling management with communities around and other nature reserves, effective management methods, rational planning, and supporting nature servers.

Developing phase of China's system of nature reserves in perspective

Up until 2009, 2541 nature reserves had been established in China. However, the process of developing this system of nature reserves was not quite smooth. Various kinds of information related to nature reserves, such as annual growth, the type of nature reserves established, motives behind building a nature reserve, legal instructions and the constitution of government sectors, were collected and analyzed in order to highlight the characteristics of the development of our nature reserve system. As a result, we identify three phases and their characteristics, i.e., the initial phase from 1956 to 1978, the establishment phase from 1979 to 1996 and the management standardization phase from 1997 to 2009, could be clearly identified. It is suggested that since the establishment of this comprehensive structural framework in China, the system should be entering a new developing phase. We recommend that more attentions should be paid on how to guarantee effective management and how nature reserves are able to maintain their value and fulfill their objectives in the future.

Measurement System of Landscape Fragmentation in National Nature Reserves:A Case Study of Dinghu Mountain National Nature Reserve,Guangdong Province

With the advancement of industrialization and urbanization,the natural landscape has been destroyed to varying degrees,presenting the trend of landscape fragmentation and ecosystem degradation.Taking Dinghu Mountain National Nature Reserve as an example,a three-dimension measurement system of separation degree,fractal dimension and interference intensity for landscape fragmentation is established and verified by collecting survey data through questionnaires.The research results will provide a theoretical reference for landscape conservation and sustainable development of national nature reserves.

Distribution of Invasive Plant Species in Relation to Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors in Five Nature Reserves in Northern China

The relationships between invasive plant species and environmental and anthropogenic factors were analyzed in five nature reserves in northern China. The distribution of invasive plants was analyzed using a Canonical Correspondence Analysis. Stepwise backward multiple regression was then done to identify the most important environmental and anthropogenic factors determining the richness and distribution of alien plants in the reserves. Total invasive plant richness varied was 25 species, 12 species, 13 species, five species and five species across the nature reserves. Invasive species richness decreased in response to environmental factors such as maximum temperature and minimum precipitation and increased in line with human activities, the total area of farmland and volume of freight. Tropical plant species declined from 31% to zero while the species originally from North America gradually increased. In respect of family composition of invasive species, most species belonged to the composites, whose proportion increased from 15%-40% from north to south across the five nature reserves while species from other families varied greatly along this gradient. Life-forms of invasive plant species varied between the reserves, but annual and perennial herbs were generally dominant. Pathways of such species were highly related to human activities and utilizations.

Land-cover changes of national nature reserves in China

For preventing ecosystem degradation, protecting natural habitats and conserving biodiversity within the habitats, 2588 nature reserves have been established in China at the end of 2010. The total area is up to 149.44 million ha and covers over 15% of Chinese terrestrial surface. Land-cover change, as the primary driver of biodiversity change, directly impacts ecosystem structures and functions. In this paper, 180 National Nature Reserves （NNRs） are selected and their total area is 44.71 million ha, accounting for 29.9% of all NNRs in China. In terms of the ecosystem characteristics and their major protected object, all selected NNRs are classified into 7 types. A Positive and Negative Change Index of Land-cover （PNCIL） was developed to analyze the land-cover change of each NNRs type from the late 1980s to 2005. The results show that the land-cover of all selected NNRs types have degradated to a certain degree except the forest ecosystem reserves with a decreasing rate, but the rate of degrada tion alleviated gradually. The mean positive and negative change rates of land-cover in all core zones decreased by 0.69% and 0.16% respectively. The landscape pattern of land-cover in the core zones was more stable than that in the buffer zones and the experimental zones. Furthermore, the ecological diversity and patch connectivity of land-cover in selected NNRs increased generally. In short, the land-cover of 180 selected NNRs in China had a beneficial chan qe trend after NNRs established, especially between 1995 and 2005.

Assessment of effectiveness of nature reserves on the Tibetan Plateau based on net primary production and the large sample comparison method

Twenty-one typical coupled large samples were chosen from areas within and surrounding nature reserves on the Tibetan Plateau using the large sample comparison method(LSCM).To evaluate the effectiveness of the nature reserves in protecting the ecological environment,the alpine grassland net primary production(NPP) of these coupled samples were compared and the differences between them before and after their establishment as protected areas were analyzed.The results showed that:(1) With respect to the alpine grassland NPP,the ecological and environmental conditions of most nature reserves were more fragile than those of the surrounding areas and also lower than the average values for the Tibetan Plateau.(2) Of the 11 typical nature reserves selected,the positive trend in the NPP for Manzetang was the most significant,whereas there was no obvious trend in Taxkorgan.With the exception of Selincuo,the annual NPP growth rate in the nature reserves covered by alpine meadow and wetland was higher than that in nature reserves consisting of alpine steppe and alpine desert.(3) There were notable findings in 21 typical coupled samples:(a) After the establishment of the nature reserves,the annual rate of increase in the NPP in 76% of samples inside nature reserves and 82% of samples inside national nature reserves was higher than that of the corresponding samples outside nature reserves.(b) The effectiveness of ecological protection of the Mid-Kunlun,Changshagongma,Zoige and Selincuo(Selin Co) nature reserves was significant; the effectiveness of protection was relatively sig-nificant in most parts of the Sanjiangyuan and Qiangtang nature reserves,whereas in south-east Manzetang and north Taxkorgan the protection effectiveness was not obvious.(c) The ecological protection effectiveness was significant in nature reserves consisting of alpine meadow,but was weak in nature reserves covered by alpine steppe.This study also shows that the advantage of large sample comparison method in evaluating regional ecology change.Careful design of the samples used,to ensure comparability between the samples,is crucial to the success of this LSCM.