Spatiotemporal variations of ecosystem services and driving factors in the Tianchi Bogda Peak Natural Reserve of Xinjiang,China

Nature reserves play a significant role in providing ecosystem services and are key sites for biodiversity conservation.The Tianchi Bogda Peak Natural Reserve(TBPNR),located in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China,is an important ecological barrier area in the temperate arid zone.The evaluation of its important ecosystem services is of great significance to improve the management level and ecological protection efficiency of the reserve.In the present study,we assessed the spatiotemporal variations of four ecosystem services(including net primary productivity(NPP),water yield,soil conservation,and habitat quality)in the TBPNR from 2000 to 2020 based on the environmental and social data using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs(InVEST)model.In addition,the coldspot and hotspot areas of ecosystem services were identified by hotspot analysis,and the trade-off and synergistic relationships between ecosystem services were analyzed using factor analysis in a geographic detector.During the study period,NPP and soil conservation values in the reserve increased by 48.20%and 25.56%,respectively;conversely,water yield decreased by 16.56%,and there was no significant change in habitat quality.Spatially,both NPP and habitat quality values were higher in the northern part and lower in the southern part,whereas water yield showed an opposite trend.Correlation analysis revealed that NPP showed a synergistic relationship with habitat quality and soil conservation,and exhibited a trade-off relationship with water yield.Water yield and habitat quality also had a trade-off relationship.NPP and habitat quality were affected by annual average temperature and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI),respectively,while water yield and soil conservation were more affected by digital elevation model(DEM).Therefore,attention should be paid to the spatial distribution and dynamics of trade-off and synergistic relationships between ecosystem services in future ecological management.The findings of the present study provide a reference that could facilitate the sustainable utilization of ecosystem services in the typical fragile areas of Northwest China.

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.

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.

Reserves of Natural Gas Hydrates Equivalent to 100–150 Billion m^3 Natural Gas Has Been Discovered in the Pearl Mouth Basin of the South China Sea

Scientists have suggested that combustible ice in global marginal seas,deep trough areas and ocean basins covers an area of 400million km2,and its total reserve is twice the amount of the global proven oil,coal and gas reserves,equivalent to 50 times the amount of conventional natural gas reserves.

Significant Increase of Oil and Natural Gas Reserves throughout 2013

China＇s Ministry of Land and Resources announced on 27th February 2014 that proven reserves of oil, natural gas and coal continued to increase significantly, and that their production shows a steady increase. This greatly improves China＇s support capacity of fossil fuel resources.

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.

Characteristics of natural Japanese yew population in Muling Nature Reserve of Heilongjiang Province,China

The scalar of Japanese yew （Taxus cuspidata） population and the relationship between individual distribution and site factors were analyzed according to investigating data in 74 sample belts with a total sampled area of 436.872 hm2 in Muling Nature Reserve. The result showed that the distribution rules of Japanese yew population were correlated to elevation, slope position, slope aspect and slope gradient. The optimal distribution range in elevation for the natural Japanese yew population is at the attitudes of 700-800 m. The amounts of Japanese yew individuals on shady slope were more than those on sunny slope. On top slope and mid-slope, the individual amounts of Japanese yew are more than those on toe slope. Most of Japanese yew individuals occurred on slope gradient of less than 15. The scalar of the population was decreased with the slope gradient increasing.

Finer topographic data improves distribution modeling of Picea crassifolia in the northern Qilian Mountains

The Qilian Mountains, a national key ecological function zone in Western China, play a pivotal role in ecosystem services. However, the distribution of its dominant tree species, Picea crassifolia (Qinghai spruce), has decreased dramatically in the past decades due to climate change and human activity, which may have influenced its ecological functions. To restore its ecological functions, reasonable reforestation is the key measure. Many previous efforts have predicted the potential distribution of Picea crassifolia, which provides guidance on regional reforestation policy. However, all of them were performed at low spatial resolution, thus ignoring the natural characteristics of the patchy distribution of Picea crassifolia. Here, we modeled the distribution of Picea crassifolia with species distribution models at high spatial resolutions. For many models, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) is larger than 0.9, suggesting their excellent precision. The AUC of models at 30 m is higher than that of models at 90 m, and the current potential distribution of Picea crassifolia is more closely aligned with its actual distribution at 30 m, demonstrating that finer data resolution improves model performance. Besides, for models at 90 m resolution, annual precipitation (Bio12) played the paramount influence on the distribution of Picea crassifolia, while the aspect became the most important one at 30 m, indicating the crucial role of finer topographic data in modeling species with patchy distribution. The current distribution of Picea crassifolia was concentrated in the northern and central parts of the study area, and this pattern will be maintained under future scenarios, although some habitat loss in the central parts and gain in the eastern regions is expected owing to increasing temperatures and precipitation. Our findings can guide protective and restoration strategies for the Qilian Mountains, which would benefit regional ecological balance.

The Systematic Diagnoses and Analysis of the Eco-vulnerability in Daqinggou National Natural Reserve

[Objective] The aim is to conduct systematic diagnoses on the eco-vulnerability in Daqinggou National Natural Reserve. [Method] A kind of ＂problem pile＂ is proposed about 58 interrelated problems of ecological vulnerability by field survey and questionnaires and a ladder diagram of interrelations among the problems is established. The root problems, basic problems, core problems, interrelation and solving approaches are proposed, as well. [Result] It can be concluded from system diagnosis that fragile ecosystem of the Reserve can be observed from poor disasterresistibility, lower species diffusivity, lower system metabolism and poor system restorability. According to system diagnoses, management planning and control subsystem is key for protection of system vulnerability and solving different problems in process-oriented system. Conservation of the Reserve and ecological education on tourists are indispensible. It can be concluded from diagnoses that plant updating, evolution and ill growth in the Reserve are the focus of the vulnerable ecosystem, which influence species diffusivity, system metabolism and restorability and constitute central nodes of process-oriented and effect-oriented subsystems. [Conclusion] The research provides references for solving vulnerability issues of conservation and tourism management in Daqinggou National Nature Reserve.

Analysis of vascular plant resources and diversity in Fanjing Mountain,Guizhou Province

Fanjing Mountain Nature Reserve is located at the junction of Jiangkou,Yinjiang and Songtao counties in the Tongren region of Guizhou Province.Because of the topography and humid climate of the central subtropical monsoonal mountains,the plant species in this area are rich and diverse.The vascular plant resources and diversity of Fanjing Mountain Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province were studied through field survey,literature review and specimen identification.The results show that there are 284 species of vascular plants in the region,belonging to 205 genera in 93 families,mainly angiosperms.Liliaceae,Asteraceae,Polygonaceae,Leguminosae,Ranunculaceae and Polygonum have the most species,followed by Sedum,Dioscorea,Actinidia Lindl and Thalictrum.In terms of life types,perennial herbs are the most dominant,accounting for 68.47%of the total number of species,and annual(or biennial)herbs,shrubs and vine types also present.There are 222 species identified as medicinal vascular plants,accounting for 78.2%of the total number of species.The medicinal parts are primarily found in the whole herb category,followed by the root and rhizome category.

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.

Estimation on Aesthetic Value of Tourist Landscapes in a Natural Heritage Site:Kanas National Nature Reserve,Xinjiang,China

Most world natural heritage sites are designated partly by reason of their prominent aesthetic values in accordance with Article Ⅶ of World Natural Heritage Convention.In this paper, the aesthetic values of Kanas National Nature Reserve, which has potential for such designation, was analyzed quantitatively using scenic beauty estimation(SBE).The landscapes of 19 representative scenic spots in the Kanas National Nature Reserve in summer and autumn were selected as the objects of evaluation.The contributions of different landscape factors to the aesthetic value of the Kanas National Nature Reserve were revealed using a multivariate quantitative model.The main factors affecting the aesthetic value were waterscapes, vegetation, mountains, folk culture and the tourist environment.The t-test and F-test results are extremely significant.According to the results, some suggestions were given for conserving the landscapes in the Kanas National Nature Reserve.

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.

Vegetation Dynamics and Its Relationship with Climatic Factors in the Changbai Mountain Natural Reserve

This study examined the temporal variation of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index （NDVI） and its relationship with climatic factors in the Changbai Mountain Natural Reserve （CMNR） during 2000 - 2009. The results showed as follows. The average NDVI values increased at a rate of 0.0024 year-1. The increase rate differed with vegetation types, such as 0.0034 year-1 for forest and 0.0017 year-1 for tundra. Trend analyses revealed a consistent NDVI increase at the start and end of the growing season but little variation or decrease observed in July during the study period. The NDVI in CMNR showed a stronger correlation with temperature than with precipitation, especially in spring and autumn. A stronger correlation was observed between NDVI and temperature in the tundra zone （2,000-2,600m） than in the coniferous forest （1,100-1,700m） and Korean pine-broadleaved mixed forest （7oo-1,1oom） zones. The results indicate that vegetation at higher elevations is more sensitive to temperature change. NDVI variation had a strong correlation with temperature change （r=0.7311, p〈0.01） but less significant correlation with precipitation change. The result indicates that temperature can serve as a main indicator of vegetation sensitivity in the CMNR.

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.

first record of sphenomorphus incognitus (thompson, 1912) (squamata:scincidae) from vietnam with some notes on natural history

Sphenomorphus incognitus is recorded for the first time outside of China. The new locality record is from the Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve in Bac Giang Province, northeastern Vietnam at elevations between 200–450 m. Based on the newly collected specimens, we present an expanded description and provide data on the natural history of this species in northern Vietnam.

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.