Hidden roles of protected areas in the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services

Abstract

Citation: Viña, A., and J. Liu. 2017. Hidden roles of protected areas in the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Ecosphere 8(6):e01864. 10. 1002/ecs2.1864 Abstract. Many of the current protected areas worldwide are established for the conservation of particular species of interest, yet their benefits may go beyond these species since they could also contribute to the conservation of entire biodiversity pools. In addition, they may also contribute to the provision of ecosystem services. However, these benefits are seldom evaluated or targeted for improvement. Using field and remotely sensed data, we evaluated how representative of the plant biodiversity pool and of carbon sequestration is a network of nature reserves specifically established for the conservation of a target species, the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), an icon of biodiversity conservation. Our results show that forest structure (including tree/bamboo species composition) within the nature reserve network is representative of the forest structure across the entire study region, with the exception of forests located at lower elevations which are not well represented. In addition, of the areas of forest cover gained across the study region between 2000 and 2010 (~10,700 km 2 ) only about 15% occurred within panda reserves. Furthermore, accumulated net primary productivity (NPP) per year between 2000 and 2010 across the study region exhibited a monotonic increase, while the relative contribution of the reserve network to this accumulated NPP remained relatively constant (~25.5%). This suggests that the areas inside nature reserves may be reaching their maximum forest cover and NPP levels. Therefore, despite the significant positive roles of these reserves beyond the conservation of the species of interest, further conservation actions are needed to maintain and improve the conservation of regional biodiversity pools, as well as to improve gains in forest cover and in carbon sequestration. The procedures shown in this study are easily transferable to other study regions for assessing the benefits they provide beyond the conservation of the target(s) species of interest.

Improve the roles of nature reserves in conservation of endangered pheasant in a highly urbanized region

“…Nature reserves perform multiple roles, including conservation of particular species and biodiversity and conservation of ecosystems 44 . Establishing protected areas remains one of the most effective efforts for conserving endangered species, and more than 200,000 such areas established worldwide 10 .…”

“…Establishing protected areas remains one of the most effective efforts for conserving endangered species, and more than 200,000 such areas established worldwide 10 . China has many nature reserves established for special endangered species, such as the giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ), the tiger ( Panthera tigris amoyensis ), and Brown Eared-pheasant 44 . Assessing management effectiveness of nature reserves for endangered species is necessary for policy makers to design conservation schemes.…”

Complex Interrelationships between Ecosystem Services Supply and Tourism Demand: General Framework and Evidence from the Origin of Three Asian Rivers

“…Carbon sequestration is the process of carbon captured by terrestrial ecosystems (e.g., photosynthesis) [61]. We used net primary production (NPP) as a proxy of carbon sequestration, because NPP measures the amounts of carbon absorbed via photosynthesis and fixed as plant biomass [62,63]. Specifically, NPP is calculated by subtracting the amounts of carbon dioxide during vegetation photosynthesis from those of vegetation release during respiration [64].…”

How Potassium Content in Soil Shapes Giant Panda Distribution

“…Firstly, the higher diversity of the SFB could provide more food selection for the panda individuals, even if it is so specialized [18,27]. Secondly, the higher diversity of the SFB may contribute more to the local diversity of vegetation, and the higher ecosystem diversity probably provides more stable and suitable habitats for panda [33] because diversity is so critical to the stability of the environments [33,34]. The findings could be also useful in further habitat protection strategies for panda.…”