A Study On The Indicators Of Biodiversity Impact Assessment For Developmental Activities In Nature Reserves

With the increase of population and frequent developmental activities, biodiversity which we depend upon for life has been seriously threatened. Many development activities have extended into nature reserves and surrounding areas, and thrown lots of species into plight. In order to keep economic development and biodiversity conservation in line, technical criteria to evaluate the possible impact of developmental activities on biodiversity in nature reserves must be properly established, therefore, providing administrators with solid scientific foundation to support viable management decision making. To attain that goal, a set of indicators for biodiversity impact assessment (BIA) and operable methods procedures must be established.Based on ecological principles and sustainable development theories, and referring to relevant assessment studies, this study was carried out, Delphi method was adopted throughout the process. According to the situations of developmental activities and the general conditions of nature reserves in Yunnan province, preliminarily formulated BIA criteria were consulted with a number of selected experts for four rounds and then tested through a case study. After the consultation meetings and case study, the BIA criteria were modified accordingly.The results of the study include: 1) guiding principles for formulating BIA criteria; 2) specific indicators for BIA, which covers 28 quantitative indicators under 6 different aspects, and 3) general methods and procedures for application.A case study to test the applicability of the initially established criteria was carried out in the Mengnai River watershed within the northern part of Tongbiguan Nature Reserve (Xima sub-reserve), where a 4th level cascading hydropower station has been planned. The initially prepared criteria were then applied and modified accordingly. Weight given to each category and each quantitative indicator were also validated based on case study and expert consultation.As this study is an explorative research work, the result achieved is rather preliminary, further studies on the aspects of proper experts selection, adjustment of indicators, etc. are discussed.