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.

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.

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.

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.

Spatio-temporal analysis of the human footprint in the Hengduan Mountain region:Assessing the effectiveness of nature reserves in reducing human impacts

Mapping the human footprint(HF)makes it possible to quantify human influence,which has had an unprecedented impact on the global ecosystem.Using five categories of human pressure data,this study mapped the HF of the Hengduan Mountain region and assessed the effectiveness of nature reserves in reducing human impacts.The results showed that the HF of the Hengduan Mountain region was generally higher in the south and lower in the north.The HF increased by 11.24%over the past 25 years,with faster growth in the southeast.The HF growth rate in nature reserves was much lower than that across the region,which indicated that nature reserves played an important role in reducing the impact of human pressure.A study of Baimaxueshan nature reserve found that establishing nature reserves could effectively reduce the impact of human activities,and no"leakage"occurred.Population growth was an important reason for the increased HF in nature reserves.The development of ecotourism in nature reserves must be based on ecological protection.Strengthening the long-term monitoring,evaluation,and management of nature reserves is a basic requirement for their long-term development.

Major Nature Reserves in China

At the end of 2010,China had 2,588 nature reserves,covering 14.9 percent of its land area.These nature reserves have effectively protected more than 90 percent of land ecosystems,85 percent of wild animals and 65 percent of higher plant

Nature Reserves Chipped Away

The purported havens for endangered species are losing ground to economic development At a section of the Yangtze River in Chongqing Municipality,huge excavators are rumbling.They dig sand from riverbed and pile it along

From landslide characterization to nature reserve management:The“Scialimata Grande di Torre Alfina”landslide Geosite(Central Apennines,Italy)

Italy is characterized by widespread geomorphological instability,among which landslides leave impressive marks on the landscape.Nevertheless,landslide bodies may represent key sites for thematic and educational itineraries,especially in protected areas,where their management becomes an important issue.Our study focuses on the"Monte Rufeno Nature Reserve"(Central Apennines,Italy),where iconic landslides are present.Here,the"Scialimata Grande di Torre Alfina"landslide(SGTA)is listed in the regional Geosite database.This work aims to propose a multiscale procedure for landslide analysis,in terms of both hazard sources but also educational and geoheritage enhancement opportunities in natural reserves.After performing a Landslide Susceptibility conditional Analysis(LSA)for the reserve territory,attention was focused on the SGTA,to define properly its features and morphodynamics.A multi-disciplinary approach was adopted,by applying both remote sensing(UAV structure from motion,Photointerpretation)and field survey(geomorphological and GPS monitoring).From the LSA,based on drainage density,curvature,and slope triggering factors,the road and trail susceptibility maps were derived,as base tools for future risk assessments and trail paths management within the reserve.At the SGTA scale,the monitoring showed a displacement of up to 23 m during the time interval between 2015 and 2018.The landslide dynamics seem to be driven by alternating dry and extremely wet periods;moreover,leaks from the aqueduct in the detachment area and piping effects through clays may have also decreased the substrate cohesion.The SGTA complex influence on the Paglia River valley geometry was also hypothesized,underlining the action of landslide through different spatial scales(on-site and off-site)and on different environment features(sediment connectivity,hydrology).Finally,the SGTA appears highly representative of the geomorphic dynamics within the Nature Reserve(i.e.,scientific value)and it could be classified as an active geosite.Since the site was featured by a tourist trail,adequate management strategies must be adopted,considering the educational value and safety issues.

New challenges facing traditional nature reserves: Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) conservation in China

Traditional conservation strategies can effectively preserve biodiversity within nature reserves,but may fail to mitigate the conflicts between rural development and wildlife conservation.This paper discusses the magnitude of the conflict and its development over time,focusing on elephant conservation and land resource management within and around nature reserves.We suggest that regulations alone can satisfy neither the demands to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services nor the demands to achieve human welfare.More innovative tools such as informed landuse planning and integrated conservation development projects are called for to reduce the agricultural interface with elephant range,and therefore to alleviate the damage caused by the conflict.

Collective Forest Tenure Reform in Nature Reserves in China:Problems and Countermeasures

Collective forest tenure reform is now carried out throughout China with the aim to clarify the property,increase forest farmers' income and motivate the development of forestry.But the collective forest tenure reform in nature reserves comes to a dilemma.The current implemented laws and regulations provide that forests and trees in nature reserves shall be under strict protection,while the forest farmers hope to improve their livelihood in the reform.The paper discussed the problems encountered in the c...

Human’s digital footprints on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:Variations during festivals and impacts on nature reserves

Mobile internet and wireless communication technologies have produced unprecedented location-aware data.Such big geospatial data can be used as a proxy measure of the‘digital footprints’left by us on the planet and provide a valuable opportunity to understand the dynamic and short-term human disturbance on the nature at fine scales.This study investigated the spatiotemporal variations of human’s digital footprints on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using smartphone-users-generated Tencent’s location request data.The results showed that human’s digital footprints cover less than 5%of Qinghai and Tibet,exhibiting either a U-shaped or an N-shaped temporal change pattern during the major festivals.Spatial changes of the digital footprints manifested a transition process from dispersion to concentration in Xining and Lhasa.Human disturbance assessment of seven large nature reserves on the plateau showed that the Qinghai Lake is the most disturbed one as shown by 14.6%of its area is stained with human digital footprints and the areal average of footprint intensity is 1.59,and the disturbance was significantly escalated during the National Day holiday.By contrast,the Qangtang and Hoh Xil are the least affected nature reserves with the two indices less than 1%and 0.1,respectively.