Research On Spatial Optimization Of Functional Zoning Of Protected Areas Based On ’Ecosystem Pattern-Quality-Service’

As the core carrier of ecological civilization construction,protected areas play an essential role and have it practical significance in protecting biodiversity and maintaining the stability and health of natural ecosystems.Currently,China has established 11,800 protected areas,accounting for 18%of the land area and 4.6%of the territorial sea area,making it one of the countries with the most abundant biodiversity in the world.Besides,with the establishment of the first five national parks,China has taken a significant step towards establishing a protected area system with national parks as the primary component.Now,a strategic consensus has gradually been reached to optimize the spatial pattern of protected areas,protect the function of ecological security barriers,implement differentiated ecological restoration strategies and adopt adaptive zoning management.A protected area is an integrated regional ecosystem with a specific boundary range.Its internal elements are interconnected with a complex system structure,diverse service functions,variable environmental quality,as well as the trade-off between protection and utilization.The ecosystem pattern,quality and service of its functional zoning will change with time and interference from human activities.Therefore,it is essential to optimize and adaptively manage the functional space of protected areas to ensure the achievement of differentiated zoning management of protected areas.In this study,based on the research concepts of GAP analysis(a geographic approach to protect biological diversity)and adaptive management,a comprehensive evaluation of the ecosystem in the protected areas which focused on the dimensions of"pattern-quality-service"was conducted.Firstly,the overall dynamic status of the ecosystem of protected areas was grasped and the demand signal system for the adaptive management of the protected areas was established.Then,the areas of change in ecosystem of the protected areas were identified and the demand signal system for adaptive management of the protected areas was further established.On the basis of this,a spatial optimization of functional zones was conducted in the areas of change in the ecosystem,which led to adjustments in protection and management strategies.In this research,Mt.Qomolangma National Nature Reserve in Tibet was selected as the research area,and the overall and comprehensive evaluation of the"pattern-quality-service"of the ecosystem was carried out to identify spatially optimized areas.Besides,2000,2010 and 2020 were selected as the research period,with a total time span of 20 years.The objective of this study focused on addressing issues concerning the spatial alignment of functional zoning in protected areas with the evolution of ecosystems,the transformation of the ecosystem evaluation of protected areas from a single to a comprehensive dimension,as well as the coordination of protection and utilization in protected areas.In general,the results of the study will provide a scientific basis for the optimization of spatial patterns and adaptive management of protected areas.In this research,remote sensing images were selected as the primary data source,along with boundary vector data,meteorological data,socio-economic statistics,etc.,of the functional zoning of Mt.Qomolangma National Nature Reserve.Then,GIS spatial analysis technology was used to quantitatively analyze the ecosystem background of the research area during 2000-2020.The specific steps were as follows:Firstly,the spatial analysis of landscape pattern and the method of comprehensive ecosystem dynamic degree were used to study the spatiotemporal change of ecosystem patterns.Subsequently,the indices of fractional vegetation cover(FVC),net primary productivity(NPP),and leaf area index(LAI)were used,and the quality characteristics of ecosystem and the change patterns of the protected areas were assessed,Additionally,the In VEST model was applied to estimate the water conservation and biodiversity service of the protected areas,and the water balance equation as well as habitat quality calculation equation were utilized respectively.Furthermore,the Getis-Ord Gi*statistical index was employed to identify the spatial distribution of the hotspots for ecosystem service within the protected areas.Finally,after a comprehensive assessment of the"pattern-quality-service"background and the changes of ecosystem in the Mt.Qomolangma National Nature Reserve from 2000 to2020 was conducted,the spatial overlay analysis method was carried out to identify the dynamic change areas of the protected areas’ecosystem while considering human activities and adaptive management optimization,such as spatial optimization and zoning management of the present protected areas.The results of this study could be summarized as follows:(1)During the period of 2000-2020,the comprehensive changes of the ecosystem in Mt.Qomolangma National Nature Reserve was 0.00052%,and the internal structure of the ecosystem remained relatively stable.The transformation areas of various ecosystems were 17.741km~2 over the past two decades.Grassland and bare land were the most dominant ecosystem types in the protected areas.The transformation of various ecosystems mainly occurred among grassland,shrub,glacier,desert,farmland,bare land,lake and residential area.Specifically,the area of grassland,shrub,glacier,desert,farmland,and bare land had decreased by 4.27 km~2,0.09 km~2,1.24 km~2,7.98 km~2,1.58 km~2,and 1.11 km~2,respectively.From the perspective of landscape pattern index,grassland and bare land had the highest number of patches(NP),patch density(PD),edge density(ED),and fragmentation.The mean patch size(MPS)and the largest patch index(LPI)of lakes increased after 2010,and their dominance continued to rise.As a whole,landscape shape index(LSI)of all ecosystem types remained at a medium level(LSI value is below 50),and the complexity of patch shape was not particularly high.The landscape contagion index(CONTAG)of all ecosystem types decreased slightly from68.40 to 68.37.The protected area had low and unevenly distributed landscape diversity,and the ecosystems were dominated by the dominant landscape.In terms of comprehensive ecosystem dynamic,the comprehensive change of various ecosystems from 2000 to 2020 sorted from largest to smallest was Nyalam County,DinggyêCounty,Tingri County and Gyirong County,respectively.The comprehensive change of ecosystem in each functional area was highest in the core area,followed by the experimental area,and there is no change in the buffer zone.(2)From the evaluation index of ecosystem quality of Mt.Qomolangma Nature Reserve,the low-value areas of FVC,NPP and LAI were the main spatial components of the protected areas,accounting for 86.32%,87.38%and 81.45%,respectively.The mid-high value areas of FVC,NPP and LAI were mainly distributed in discontinuous blocks and scattered in the alpine valley areas in the southern part of the protected areas.Between 2000 and 2020,the area of high-value areas of FVC,NPP and LAI decreased by 0.35%,0.71%and 46.39%,respectively.Among them,the high-value areas of FVC,NPP and LAI in the core areas decreased by 22.2%,28.6%and 46.3%,respectively.The high-value areas of FVC,NPP and LAI in the buffer zones decreased by 22.1%,19.2%and 53.4%,respectively.The high-value area of FVC in the experimental areas were increased while the high-value area of NPP and LAI decreased.During the period of 2000-2020,the areas of forest ecosystem and shrub ecosystem with excellent,good and poor EQI showed a decreasing trend,while the areas of fair and low EQI showed an increasing trend.The areas of grassland ecosystem with excellent,good,fair and poor EQI all decreased,while the areas with low EQI increased.The EQI levels of forest,shrub and grassland ecosystems showed a pattern of decline with the increase of altitude.In general,about 29.78%of the ecosystem quality EQI in the protected areas showed a downward trend in the past two decades.(3)The ecosystem service evaluation in Mt.Qomolangma National Nature Reserve was carried out by focusing on water conservation and biodiversity.The results indicated that the spatial distribution of the comprehensive hot spot was consistent with that of the two single hot spot service areas,which were blocky distributed in the upper part of the alpine valley in the southern part of the protected areas.In general,the hot spot for ecosystem service in the protected areas remained unchanged over the past 20 years.In terms of individual ecosystem service,the spatial variation in water production within protected areas from 2000 to 2020 was predominantly constrained by the Mangzha Xiongqu-Paiku Co-Qiequ-Langnongqu-the midstream of the Pumqu-Yairu Zangbo line.This geographical boundary experienced a decline in water production in the north and an increase in the south,while areas with high-quality habitats were mainly distributed in discontinuous block structures along the river valley.Moreover,there had been an upward trend in the capacity of water conservation and biodiversity service.From the perspective of the gain and loss area of each functional area,the water conservation service’s gain areas were largest in the core area,followed by the experimental area and buffer zone,while the loss areas were largest in the experimental area,followed by the core area and buffer zone.Similarly,for biodiversity service,the order of gain and loss areas,from largest to smallest,was experimental area,core area,and buffer zone.Between 2000 and 2020,the ecosystem service comprehensive hotspot area of the Mt.Qomolangma National Nature Reserve demonstrated a relatively stable trend.The transformation of insignificant areas into hotspot areas amounted 189 km~2,accounting for 0.55%of the protected areas.The primary ecosystem types involved in this transformation were glaciers,forests,shrub and grasslands Conversely,the area transformed from hotspot areas to non-significant areas was 108 km~2,accounting for0.32%of the protected areas.The grassland ecosystem predominantly contributed to this transformation and was concentrated in two types of ecosystem transition areas:the boundary between the buffer zone and experimental zone and the area surrounding the town.(4)Based on the method of spatial overlay analysis in GAP analysis,the areas of ecosystem degradation,the comprehensive hotspot area of ecosystem service and the functional zoning of protected areas were overlayed to identify the spatial optimization area of protected areas.The analysis revealed that the total area of the core area,buffer zone,and experimental area was 2370.7 km~2,with the core area,buffer zone,and experimental area accounting for 1123.6 km~2,997.9 km~2,and 249.2km~2 respectively.It is worth noting that these areas are also the comprehensive hotspots of ecosystem service,providing high levels of ecosystem service,making them the primary focus of adaptive management in the Mt.Qomolangma National Nature Reserve.However,these areas are currently facing a significant challenge of declining ecosystem quality,particularly the grassland ecosystem.To achieve the coordinated development of ecological protection and resource utilization in the Mt.Qomolangma National Nature Reserve and ensure the sustainable development of local communities,several measures can be implemented.These measures include establishing ecological restoration areas,implementing participatory high-altitude biodiversity monitoring and patrolling mechanisms,optimizing grassland ecological subsidy policies,promoting the transfer of pasture use rights,developing artificial forage plantations,and promoting sustainable development of local communities.In this study,the"pattern-quality-service"based ecosystem evaluation was integrated into the GAP analysis of protected areas,which enriched the content of the GAP analysis method of protected areas and the identification of spatial optimization of protected areas was made to be more accurate and reasonable.On this basis,the concept of adaptive management was integrated to propose timely adjustment of control methods for spatially optimized areas,which could form a technical approach and scientific basis for spatial optimization and management of protected areas that is scientific,quantitative,reproducible and scalable.