Effectiveness of nature reserves for natural forests protection in tropical Hainan: a 20 year analysis

Abstract

Abstract: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.

Vegetation Monitoring of Protected Areas in Rugged Mountains Using an Improved Shadow-Eliminated Vegetation Index (SEVI)

“…Therefore, it is vital to establish protected areas in remote rugged mountains as early as possible, where vegetation grows naturally with minimal influence from anthropogenic activities. Considering the limited data used in the vegetation analysis in this study, in the next step, we will further study the vegetation in protected areas using time-series images and more parameters, e.g., classified vegetation categories [12], biophysical parameters, landscape indices, and carbon sink. Meanwhile, the data from exterior influence factors of meteorology [59,60], economy, and society will be discussed.…”

“…The terrestrial vegetation plays an important role in biodiversity conservation, ecological sustainability, and in achieving carbon neutrality [1][2][3][4]. Protected areas are useful for natural vegetation growth and mitigating vegetation degradation and deforestation [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12], since they suffer minimal eco-society environmental stress from human beings [13,14]. Thus, it is significant to monitor the vegetation growth of protected areas.…”

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Land Cover and Landscape Ecological Risk in Wuyishan National Park and Surrounding Areas

“…The establishment and effective management of nature reserves can enhance natural vegetation coverage and improve both the local ecological environment quality and the aesthetic appeal of landscapes [32,33]. Furthermore, Yu et al employed transition matrix analysis and principal component analysis to demonstrate that nature reserves significantly mitigate the loss of Hainan's natural forests [34]. Scharsich observed that the land cover composition of Matobo National Park in Zimbabwe remained largely stable from 1989 to 2014.…”

Peer Review #1 of "Human population and socioeconomic modulators of conservation performance in 788 Amazonian and Atlantic Forest reserves (v0.1)"

“…However, few studies have considered the concomitant roles of both size and management category as measurable indicators of reserve conservation performance (Joppa, Loarie & Pimm, 2008;Peres, 2011;Miranda et al, 2016). More often researchers have focused on the patterns of land-use and human economic activities within and around each PA (DeFries, Karanth, & Pareeth 2010;Beresford et al, 2013;Pfaff et al, 2015;Bowei et al, 2016).…”

“…Detailed georeferenced data on species richness and diversity are only available at selected sites, either within or outside reserves, and most studies use deforestation (or the lack thereof) as the proxy of protected area performance in preserving forest biodiversity (e.g. Nepstad et al 2006, Beresford et al 2013, Paiva et al 2015, Pfaff et al 2015, Ren et al 2015, Bowei et al 2016, Miranda et al 2016. Here, we provide a quantitative assessment of the degree to which the natural vegetation cover of 788 Brazilian forest reserves within the Amazonian and the Atlantic Forest domains have been converted into different patterns of land use.…”