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 effec-tiveness 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.     

Impact of earthquake-induced landslide on the habitat suitability of giant panda in Wolong,China

Massive geological landslides and unstable landslide areas were triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. These landslides caused deaths, damaged infrastructure and threatened endanger species. This study analyzed the impact of landslides on giant pandas and their habitats from the following aspects: threatening pandas‘ lives, damaging pandas‘ habitat, influencing giant panda behavior, increasing habitat fragmentation; the final aspect, and blocking gene flow by cutting off corridors. A habitat suitability map was created by integrating the landslide factors with other traditional factors based on a logistics regression method. According to the landslide inventory map, there are 1313 landslides, 818 rock debris flows, 117 rock avalanches and 43 mud flows occurred in the study area. A correlation analysis indicated that landslides caused the pandas to migrate, and the core landslides within 1 km2 had greater influence on panda migration. These core landslides primarily occurred in mid-altitude regionscharacterized by high slopes, old geological ages, large areas and large rock mass volumes. The habitat suitability assessment results for the Wolong Natural Reserve had better prediction performance(80.9%) and demonstrated that 14.5%, 15.9%, 20.5%, 47.6% and 1.5% of the study area can be classified as very high, high, moderate, low and very low giant panda suitability areas, respectively. This study can be used to inform panda and panda habitat research, management and protection during post-quake reconstruction and recovery periods in China.     

Nature Conservation versus Scenic Quality：A GIS Approach towards Optimized Tourist Tracks in a Protected Area of Northwest Yunnan,China

Development of appropriate tourism infrastructure is important for protected areas that allow public access for tourism use.This is meant to avoid or minimize unfavourable impacts on natural resources through guiding tourists for proper use.In this paper,a GIS-based method,the least-cost path（LCP） modelling,is explored for planning tourist tracks in a World Heritage site in Northwest Yunnan（China）,where tourism is increasing rapidly while appropriate infrastructure is almost absent.The modelling process contains three steps：1） selection of evaluation criteria（physical,biological and landscape scenic） that are relevant to track decision; 2） translation of evluation criteria into spatially explicit cost surfaces with GIS,and 3） use of Dijkstra＇s algorithm to determine the least-cost tracks.Four tracks that link main entrances and scenic spots of the study area are proposed after optimizing all evaluation criteria.These tracks feature lowenvironmental impacts and high landscape qualities,which represent a reasonable solution to balance tourist use and nature conservation in the study area.In addtion,the study proves that the LCP modelling can not only offer a structured framwork for track planning but also allow for different stakeholders to participate in the planning process.It therefore enhances the effectivenss of tourism planning and managemnt in protected areas.     

Integrated Futures for Europe＇s Mountain Regions： Reconciling Biodiversity Conservation and Human Livelihoods

Europe＇s mountains cover nearly half of the continent＇s area and are home to one fifth of the European population. Mountain areas are hotspots of biodiversity and agriculture has played a multifunctional role in defining and sustaining mountain biodiversity. Ongoing trends of agricultural decline are having negative impacts on mountain biodiversity. This paper presents results from an interdisciplinary European research project, BioScene, which investigated the relationship between agriculture and biodiversity in six mountain study areas across Europe to provide recommendations for reconciling biodiversity conservation with social and economic activities through an integrated rural development strategy. BioScene used scenario analysis and stakeholder participation as tools for structuring the analysis of alternative mountain futures. Three main BioScene scenarios were evaluated： Business as Usual （BAIT）, Agricultural Liberalisation （Lib）, Managed Change for Biodiversity （MCB）. BioScene brought together ecologists, economists, sociologists and rural geogra- phers, to carry out interdisciplinary analysis of the scenarios： identifying key drivers of change, assessing the biodiversity consequences and evaluating costeffectiveness. BioScene used a sustainability assessment to integrate the research outputs across natural and social science disciplines to assess the broader sustainability of the scenarios in terms of biodiversity, natural resources, rural development, social development, economic development and institutional capacity. The sustainability assessment showed that the MCB scenario was potentially the most sustainable of the three BioScene scenarios. Through the reconciliation of potentially conflicting objectives, such as conservation, economic development and human livelihoods, and with a strong participatory planning approach, the MCB scenario could represent an alternative approach to BaU for sustainable rural development in Europe＇s mountains. BioScene confirms the necessity for natural and social scientists to work together to seek solutions to environmental problems. Interdisciplinary research can assist with the definition of integrated strategies with the potential to reconcile the ecological, social and economic parameters that determine a sustainable future for European mountain areas.     

Effects of corridor networks on plant species composition and diversity in an intensive agriculture landscape

The development of modern agriculture has resulted in much homogenization of the landscape consisting of large patches of farmland,so small remnant non-crop habitats especially linear corridors play an important role in the conservation of species and the maintenance of ecosystem functions.However,little attention has been paid to the effects of corridors structural characteristics on the plant species restricted to such habitats.In this study,we selected three types of corridors including ditch,hedgerow and road,and ana-lyzed their structural characteristics.The plant species presented in these corridors were investigated,and the species diversity,abun-dance and frequency were estimated.Moreover,spatial arrangements of corridors were classified into different types to discuss whether there were significant effects of corridor network on plant distribution.The results show that three types of corridors have different ef-fects on plant species composition and diversity.The one-one combined corridor networks and total network associated by three corri-dors have more complex structural features than each single type of corridor.However,there is no strong correlation between the corri-dor networks with their plant species.We suggest that carrying out a pointed vegetation survey at corridor intersections to further test the relationships between structural features of corridor and plants is necessary.     

Community attitudes toward ecotourism development and environmental conservation in nature reserve: a case of Fujian Wuyishan National Nature Reserve,China

Using social exchange theory, this study investigated residents’ attitudes toward the preliminary stage of tourism development in nature reserves in Wuyishan National Nature Reserve of China, and the socio-economic and negative effects of residents’ attitude toward the tourist industry. Results of the questionnaire survey indicated that local people perceived they could benefit from the economic activities related to tourism, and were supportive of the conservation of natural resources and local culture, sustainable community development, and community participation in ecotourism planning and management. This study also revealed that the variables of age, gender, education level, household income, family size, non-farm work arrangements, and the distance to tourism attractions, have significant association with respondents’ attitudes toward ecotourism development, or negative impacts of the tourist industry. Respondents who are male, or have a higher household income, are more supportive of tourism development inside the reserve. Younger and more highly educated community members are more likely to support learning more about natural and cultural resources and landscapes. Respondents who have a higher household income, or live far from the village center, are more concerned about the negative environmental impacts of tourism development.     

Age structure and static life tables of the endangered Juniperus phoenicea L. in North Sinai Mountains,Egypt:implication for conservation

Studying the population ecology of endangered plants provides important baseline information for its monitoring and conservation.Juniperus phoenicea L. is an endangered species in arid ecosystems in Africa and the Middle East. The static life tables, survival curve and age structure of J.phoenicea populations from two mountains in North Sinai, Egypt(Gabal(G.) El-Halal and G. El-Maghara)were investigated. In each mountain, fifteen plots were selected, and field measurements such as stand density, tree height, and crown diameter were conducted. Moreover, 44 trees were cored and crossdated according to standard dendrochronological procedures. The results showed that the tree ages ranged from 50 to 262 years at G. El-Halal and 96 to431 years at G. El-Maghara. Mature J. phoenicea individuals dominated the study area, with only a few individuals being younger than 100 years. Moreover,seedling recruitment was extremely limited. Since the studied J. phoenicea populations showed high mortality rates among both old and young individuals,there is an imminent need for establishing a conservation program to prevent its extinction in the future. Therefore, management and conservation efforts should be made to minimize human disturbance and protect the relic habitats of this endangered species at its southern distribution limits in Africa.     

基于地理探测器的大熊猫生境适宜度评价模型及验证

动物生境适宜度评价对于野生动物生境保护十分重要。基于物种活动点来建模的生态位模型是目前应用最广泛的动物生境评价方法,但该方法不能直接表达生境适宜度与环境因子间具有生态学意义的数量关系。本文以雅安地区为例,提出一种新的大熊猫（Ailuropoda melanoleuca）生境适宜度评价方法,选取海拔、坡度、坡向、地形指数、距水源距离、植被类型、主食竹及距公路距离8个环境因子,引入地理探测器,在分别基于MAXENT模型和层次分析法（The Analytic Hierarchy Process,AHP）所构建生境适宜度模型的基础上,通过4个地理探测器（风险探测器、因子探测器、生态探测器和交互作用探测器）探寻大熊猫生境与各环境因子间的关系以及环境因子对大熊猫生境的影响机理,并将其预测结果与单一MAXENT模型和AHP法进行对比。结果表明：（1）AHP、AHP-Geogdetector、MAXENT和MAXENT-Geogdetector模型总体评价精度分别为85.6%、86.5%、91.3%和94.2%,kappa系数分别为0.699、0.718、0.821和0.882,AUC值分别为0.902、0.928、0.949和0.966,模型所预测的适宜和较适宜区与实际分布区重叠比分别为63.66%、61.30%、76.70%和90.10%,说明AHP-Geogdetector和MAXENT-Geogdetector模型精度均比相应的单一模型有所提高,且MAXENT-Geogdetector模型精度最高;（2）基于地理探测器的大熊猫生境适宜度评价模型能以“生境适宜度和环境因子间具有生态学意义的数量关系”的形式直接体现环境因子对动物生境利用的生态学作用,具有较好的生态学可解释性。因此,用地理探测器进行大熊猫生境适宜度评价具有较好的可行性。     

Mountain Land Use Planning of Metropolitan Suburbs： the Case of the Jinyun Mountain and Its Surrounding area, Chongqing, China

Open space of metropolitan suburbs in mountain region, has been increasingly becoming the coupling mosaic structure of industrial actions and landscape behaviors. However, the local governments, when making land use planning, often aim at economic development, and rarely refer to the coordination of compatibilities and conflicts between industrial actions and landscape behaviors in the mosaic structure. In this study land use in the Jinyun Mountain and its surrounding area, Chongqing is adjusted by gray multi-objective programming approach and local-level decision-making process to cope with conflicts between objectives for human welfare and objectives for landscape conservation. The results indicate that： 1） the compatibilities and conflicts among different behavior characters and different landscape types result in the compatibilities of landscape to human behavior; 2） a land use planning in the study area is produced based on the sustainable land use and social-eco development, which pays more attention to the resources and environment constraints and economic objectives, and follows the distribution law of rare resources; 3） in the study area, cultivated land of 1,207.27 ha can meet the demands for food and byproducts by the residents there, orchard land and forestland of 632.55 ha, 2,276.61 ha, respectively can provide enough spaee for the local people to improve their living structure and meet their demands for reereational activities, and urban residential land, rural residential land, mining land and transportation land of 1107.60 ha, 120.27 ha, 162.48 ha, 100.91 ha, respeetively can satisfy the resident＇s eeonomie development and infrastructures; 4） the equilibrium among industrial actions, landscape accessibility and ecological conservation can be obtained by analyzing the possible impaets of human activities on landscape eeologieal proeess in open spaee of metropolitan suburbs in mountain areas.     

2010-2015年中国生物多样性保护优先区域人类干扰程度评估

生物多样性是人类赖以生存与发展的基础。中国生物多样性保护优先区域集中分布着中国绝大多数的生物物种,如何保护好这些区域的生态系统和生物多样性,是实现可持续发展急需解决的问题。本文基于2010年和2015年的2期土地利用/覆被数据,应用人类干扰指数,分析了中国生物多样性保护优先区域人类干扰的程度及变化。结果表明：① 2015年中国生物多样性保护优先区域人类干扰程度以微度和轻度为主,15个优先区处于微度干扰,占优先区总面积的84.10%,13个处于轻度干扰,占优先区总面积的6.65%;华北平原黄土高原区和华东华中丘陵平原区人类干扰程度较高,而西南高山峡谷区、蒙新高原荒漠区和青藏高原高寒区人类干扰程度很低;② 2010-2015年,占优先区总面积84.54%的区域人类干扰程度基本持衡,人类干扰程度发生增加和下降的面积大致冲抵,生物多样性保护优先区域整体变化不大,华南低山丘陵区和东北山地平原区人类干扰程度较高,且升幅超过1%,华北平原黄土高原区降幅最大,为0.15%;③ 人类干扰程度较高且变化幅度大的区域,主要受经济发展对生态系统干扰及土地利用程度加深的影响,对农田、居民点及工矿交通用地的需求增加,退耕还林等部分生态工程实施有利于减少人类对生态系统的干扰程度。总体上看,全国32个生物多样性保护优先区域整体上人类干扰程度较低且变化幅度较小,且人类干扰程度高的区域分布较集中,说明国家生态保护各项政策与措施的实施对生物多样性保护起到了良好的促进作用,有利于生物多样性的保护。     

Changes in ecosystem service of soil conservation between 2000 and 2010 and its driving factors in southwestern China

Human activities significantly alter ecosystems and their services; however, quantifying the impact of human activities on ecosystems has been a great challenge in ecosystem management. We used the Universal Soil Loss Equation and county-level socioeconomic data to assess the changes in the ecosystem service of soil conservation between 2000 and 2010, and to analyze its spatial characteristics and driving factors in the southwestern China. The results showed that cropland in the southwestern China decreased by 3.74%, while urban land, forest, and grassland areas increased by 46.78%, 0.86%, and 1.12%, respectively. The soil conservation increased by 1.88 × 10~(11) kg, with deterioration only in some local areas. The improved and the degraded areas accounted for 6.41% and 2.44% of the total land area, respectively. Implementation of the Sloping Land Conversion Program and urbanization explained 57.80% and 23.90% of the variation in the soil conservation change, respectively, and were found to be the main factors enhancing soil conservation. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake was one of the factors that led to the degradation of soil conservation. Furthermore, industrial adjustment, by increasing shares of Industry and Service and reducing those of Agriculture, has also promoted soil conservation. Our results quantitatively showed and emphasized the contributions to soil conservation improvement made by implementing ecological restoration programs and promoting urbanization. Consequently, these results provide basic information to improve our understanding of the effects of ecological restoration programs, and help guide future sustainable urban development and regional industrial restructuring.     

Floristics and soil characteristics of Ohud mountain,AlMadinah AlMunawarah,Western Saudi Arabia

Ohud mountain is one of the main important historic sites in the Arab Peninsula, and it is distinguishable over the rest of the mountains in the region. No extensive floristic survey has been carried out on Ohud mountain because of the rugged topography of this mountain. The current study investigates the floristic diversity and the correspondence of environmental factors of the phytogeographical distribution of plants, based on the floristic analysis of the present region. The research question is about the relationships between the species diversity and the human impacts of populated area at lowlands around Ohud mountain. A total of 59 species belonging to 56 genera and 28 families were recorded. Asteraceae had the highest contribution, about 12% of the total plant species. The analysis of the life forms demonstrated the prevalence of therophytes(68%) followed by chamaephytes(24%), indicating the adaptation of these life forms to hyperarid conditions. The chorological analysis indicated the predominance of the bi-regional taxa over the other phytochoria. Most of the recorded plant species belong to Saharo-Arabian and Sudano-Zambezian(24%) phytochoria. TWINSPAN analysis was performed to detect the indicator species of different vegetation groups and confirmed by detrended correspondence analysis(DCA or DECORANA). It is concluded that species richness and diversity revealed clear variation along the mountain and among the studied sites. Plant species diversity and richness were more pronounced in the intermediate portion of the elevation gradients across the mountain, with a decrease in the high altitudinal belts. The decrease was also recorded at the lower altitudes, where human impacts clearly affected vegetation; leading to a decrease in alpha diversity. In addition, the beta diversity among moderately highlands and lowlands was considerably high indicating the heterogeneous species composition among the studied sites along mountain elevations. The general pattern of vegetation groups distribution is controlled by a number of environmental factors; such as latitude, longitude, elevation, organic matter and some anions and cations. A Canonical Correspondence Analysis(CCA) ordination revealed that the vegetation structure has a strong association with the latitude of the mountain followed by organic matter and Magnesium. It is recommended that the populated area should be subjected to restoration of mountain ecosystem that might be degraded by human activities.     

Optimizing hotspot areas for ecological planning and management based on biodiversity and ecosystem services

The significance of biodiversity and ecosystem services are gradually recognized by human as an approach towards sustainability, so it is important to understand relationships and congruence between them to support conservation planning, especially in the hotspot areas with a prominent role in conservation. However, the management of most conservation hotspots mainly focused on biodiversity, and rarely concerned with ecosystem services. With the aim of proposing criteria for conservation strategies that contribute to the optimization of biodiversity and ecosystem services, in this study, a Geographic Information System(GIS)-based approach was designed to estimate and map the biodiversity and ecosystem services in Chongqing Municipality of China. Furthermore, the distributions of hotspot areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services were mapped based on the relationship between cumulative ecosystem services and areas. Finally the statistical analysis was processed focused on specific conservation objectives. The results showed that hotspot areas can conserve the most biodiversity but with the least ecosystem services under the conservation plans target to biodiversity conservation. In contrast, depending on the ecosystem services of interest, hotspot areas can conserve the largest ecosystem services but with the least biodiversity. By integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services into conservation plan, we found that the conservation and regeneration of these small areas, would contribute to a conservation of 44% of the biodiversity hotspot and 14%–42% of the ecosystem services hotspot. Moreover, the current nature reserve selection was not maximize the biodiversity and ecosystem services compared to integration strategy, indicating that hotspot areas conservation and selection is vital for optimization protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and has practical significance for natural resources and ecosystem management.     

Balancing timber production and habitat conservation of Okinawa Rails(Gallirallus okinawae): Application of a harvest scheduling optimization model in subtropical forest in Okinawa,Japan

Finding the right balance between timber production and the management of forest-dependent wildlife species, present a difficult challenge for forest resource managers and policy makers in Okinawa,Japan. A possible explanation of this can be found in the unique nature of the forest management area which is populated with various kinds of rare and endangered species. This issue has been brought to light as a result of the nomination of northern Okinawa Island in 2018 as a candidate for World Natural Heritage site. The nomination has raised public awareness to the possibility of conflicting management objectives between timber extraction and the conservation of habitat for forest-dependent wildlife species. Managing exclusively for one objective over the other may fail to meet the demand for both forest products and wildlife habitat,ultimately jeopardizing the stability of human and wildlife communities. It is therefore important to achieve a better balance between the objective of timber production and conservation of wildlife habitat.Despite the significance of this subject area, current ongoing discussions on how to effectively manage for forest resources, often lack scientific basis to make sound judgement or evaluate tradeoffs between conflicting objectives. Quantifying the effect of these forest management activities on wildlife habitat provides useful and important information needed to make forest management and policy decisions. In this study we develop a spatial timber harvest scheduling model that incorporates habitat suitability index(HSI)models for the Okinawa Rail(Gallirallus okinawae),an endangered avian species found on Okinawa,Japan. To illustrate how the proposed coupling model assembles spatial information, which ultimately aids the study of forest management effects on wildlife habitat, we apply these models to a forest area in Okinawa and conduct a simple simulation analysis.     

Nature Experience,Recreation Activity and Health Benefits of Visitors in Mountain and Urban Forests in Vienna,Zurich and Freiburg

Mountain forests are managed for various purposes. Of these, recreation, leisure, and ecotourism are increasingly gaining prominence. Yet, with the development of new techniques for creating and managing urban forests, the perception of the public with regard to mountain forests and such urban forests is narrowing. For the purpose of this study, eight mountain forests and urban forests located in Zurich(Switzerland), Vienna(Austria) and Freiburg(Germany) were shortlisted. These places are renowned for their well-functioning management of mountain forests and creation of urban forests. As the study was to focus on the comparison of the perceptions of visitors in terms of their satisfaction in urban and mountain forests, the interview covered the following questions:(i) how satisfactory was the nature experience;(ii) how satisfactory were the outdoor recreational activities;(iii) whether the nature experiences influenced the mental and physical health of visitors. Responses thus received for each of the mountain forests and urban forests were assessed, with the total number of respondents being 247. Tourists visiting the selected areas were randomly chosen for a one-on-one interview survey. Results of the survey show that there is a clear perceptions of visitors differed between urban and mountain forests. However, the gap is insignificant or almost nonexistent with respect to satisfaction level of outdoor recreational activities and health benefits. These results are contrary to the findings of previous studies, which argued that the natural landscape of mountain areas is superior to other artificially built green spaces. Visitors did not perceive significant differences in outdoor recreational activities and health effects between the two spaces.     

Green Tourism in Mountain Regions - Reducing Vulnerability and Promoting People and Place Centric Development in the Himalayas

In recent years, mountain regions are attracting great attention to Indian tourists in general and foreign tourists in particular. The potential mountain resources for promoting green tourism are enormous in the form of natural and cultural heritage such as biosphere reserves, flora and fauna, lakes and rivers and traditional rural resources. In order to utilise tourism industry market, uncontrolled numbers of tourists and related haphazard infrastructural facilities in the vulnerable mountain regions pose serious environmental implications. The ecological pressures are threatening land, water and wild life resources through direct and indirect environmental impacts together with generation of solid and liquid wastes, so green tourism is emerging as an important task in order to develop new relationship between communities, government agencies and private sectors. The strategy focuses on ecological understanding, environmental protection and ecodevelopment. The major attributes of the green tourism include environmental conservation and education and distribution of income to local people based on strong partnership. Various knowledge systems go a long way for achieving the goals of the green tourism, which creates awareness about the value of environmental resources. Mountains have ecological, recreational, educational and scientific values, which need to be utilised in sustainable way. Various tourist activities andfacilities need to be diversified in order to achieve multiple benefits including scientific field excursion, recreation in natural and cultural areas, community festivals and sport tourisms. Green tourism considers tourism development as an integral part of a national and regional development. The paper discusses the social, economic and environmental dimensions of the green tourism with particular reference to village tourism development programme taking empirical evidences from the Himalaya. Such programme also minimises biophysical and human vulnerability and risks in mountain regions. The environmental consciousness campaign and introduction of code through multi- purpose Tourist Resource Centres are gaining currency in above context.     

Practice and research progress on ecosystem conservation in transboundary areas

Many ecosystems extend across national or political boundaries. The consistent and effective protection of these ecosystems in transboundary areas(ETAs) is an important global research focus. Previous research on the protection of such areas can be categorized into seven themes: 1) ecological conservation of a single ETA; 2) investigation of the effects of a single conservation measure on a specific ETA; 3) determination of species-level effects due to ETA conservation; 4) comparison of the same protection measures between different ETAs; 5) introduction of a single conservation measure to a specific ETA; 6) understanding the relationship between conservation and sustainable development; and 7) generalization across multiple ETA conservation cases. The protection of ETAs involves various considerations, including funding support, demand and will for collaboration, community and public participation, historical and cultural factors, political backgrounds, uniqueness of biological resources, formulation of laws and regulations, founding of specialized administrative departments, non-governmental organizations, and fairness. Here, we briefly explain the research themes and considerations related to ETA conservation. The most important finding is that most major research themes do not focus on the challenges of ETA conservation. We use two nature reserves located between China and North Korea as examples to identify specific ways to improve ETA conservation on Changbai Mountains. The efficiency of ETA administration still remains low. The study of ETA conservation should focus on concrete regional information and aim to improve existing measures through the accumulation of experience.     

Research on water resources conservation of mountain river based on the concept of region partition

Presently concepts and methods related to water resources conservation of mountain rivers are seriously insufficient,and its level is far from being adaptable to the development of a harmonious society.As mountain ecosystems play a key role in water resources conservation of mountain rivers,and the characteristics of mountain ecosystems and hydrologic features of mountain river follow strong temporal and spatial distribution,partition theory can be applied to the water resources conservation of mountain river.This theory observes the following partition principles:regional relativity,spatial continuity,integralcounty,meeting management needs,hierarchical principle,and comparability principle.And it lays equal emphasis on both water resources conservation and environmental protection,on both water quality conservation and water quantity protection,on the combination of water features,water cycle and water pollution.In the partition methods,index method and map superposition method will be applied in region partition.The example of region partition of water resources conservation in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River shows that the partition theory is practicable in water resources conservation of mountain rivers,and it provides a platform for future study in water resources conservation.     

Applying systematic conservation planning to constitute a protection strategy for broad-leaved Korean pine forests in Changbai Mountains,China

The broad-leaved Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) forest is one of the most biodiverse zonal communities in the North Temperate Zone and an important habitat for many endangered species. Broad-leaved Korean pine forests (BKPFs) are shrinking quickly due to deforestation and rapid urbanization. Thus, scientific protection strategies are urgently needed to change this status. Changbai Mountains contains one of the largest BKPFs and is considered a priority biodiversity conservation area in China. Guided by systematic conservation planning (SCP) methods and procedures, we chose representative species and communities in BKPFs ecosystem as priority conservation objects, and set quantitative conservation target, which is in the light of the biodiversity characteristic of BKPFs. The watershed area is used as planning unit. We used C-Plan software to calculate the irreplaceability (Ir) value of each planning unit and the contribution value (T _i ) of each conservation object to (1) assess the conservation efficiency; (2) identify the conservation gap of the existing conservation network. Then we calculated a human disturbance index (HDI) for planning units in the conservation gaps and combine this with the Ir value to design three conservation scenarios to optimize the conservation network. Results show that planning units with high conservation value 14.16% of the total area, with 3084.36 km² were covered by the existing conservation network. 79.28% of planning units with high conservation value have not been protected which were concentrated mainly in the eight gap areas. Only 25.3% of protection objects achieved their conservation target with the existing conservation network. Conservation efficiency is low. Three conservation scenarios are constituted, each prioritizing a different aim: (1) ecological value; (2) species rescue; and (3) economical avoidance. The three conservation schemes potentially enable 93%, 88% and 51% of conservation objects, respectively, to achieve identified conservation targets, thereby improving conservation efficiency significantly.