Classification Of Nature Reserves Based On Ecological Service Function And Human Footprint

Nature reserves are essential for maintaining biodiversity and achieving broader social goals.At present,nature reserves in China have substantial growth in quantity and area,and how to increase the effective management of nature reserves has become the focus of the current work.Reasonable division of nature reserves type,clear management objectives is the key to effective management.China's existing classification of nature reserves can not fully reflect the different management objectives of protected areas.All nature reserves are strictly protected,which is neither conducive to the scientific management of nature reserves nor play the greatest protection effect in the reality.Under this background,this paper based on the present classification of nature reserve,considering the importance of ecological service function and human impacts,using both qualitative and quantitative methods,857 of Chinese nature reserve was divided into six types.The main conclusions of this study are as follows:(1)Ecological service function(biodiversity conservation,flood storage,water conservation,soil conservation and windbreak and sand fixation)and human footprint data were first used to reclassify the existing nature reserve system in China.By analysis of this two kind of quantitative data and combined with our existing nature reserve classification system,this paper puts forward a method combining qualitative and quantitative analysis of nature reserve classification.(2)There were significant differences of biodiversity conservation,windbreak and sand fixation function and human footprint in different region,grade,type and size of nature reserves(p<0.01).As well as significant differences of flood regulation and soil conservation in different regions and types(p<0.01),and significant differences of water conservation in different regions and grade(p<0.01),which reflects it is necessary to implement different management methods.(3)Nature reserves with high importance for biodiversity conservation mainly located in western and southern China,such as Guangxi,Yunnan and Sichuan province.Nature reserves with high importance for water conservation mainly located in Inner Mongolia,Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.Nature reserves with high importance for wind and sand fixation mainly located in Inner Mongolia,Hebei province and Beijing city.Nature reserves with high importance for flood storage mainly located in Yangtze River,Huaihe River and Haihe River.Nature reserves with high importance for soil conservation mainly located in Sichuan,Yunnan and Inner Mongolia.(4)Eastern coastal areas showed higher Human Footprint(HF)compared with the western area.The type of Marine and Coast Nature Reserve had the highest human footprint,secondly were ancient organism relics and Grassland and Meadow type,nature reserves of the desert ecosystem type had the lowest human footprint.The higher the nature reserve grade,the lower the human footprint.The area of nature reserve is negatively related to human footprint.(5)857 nature reserves were reclassified in six types:171 strictly protected nature reserves,102 ecological security management nature reserves,184 species and habitat management nature reserves,280 natural landscape nature reserves,32 nature relics nature reserves and 88 resources management nature reserves.Different management objectives and methods of each type were proposed based on the results.