Spatial Overlapping Of Wetland Protected Areas In China And Optimization Strategies

In recent years,China has begun to pay attention to the overlapping and intersection natural protected areas.In order to reform the fragmented and overlapping institution on management and restructure the protected area system,a new strategy on National Park based Protected Area System has proposed.To fulfill this strategy,systematic study on the relationship and spatial distribution of the natural protected areas is required.Therefore,this study collected information of nine categories of 8572 natural protected areas including dministrative levels,coordinates and provinces located in.Among them,1532 natural protected areas with spatial overlapping and cross-jurisdictions were selected.By calculating Geographic Concentration index(G),Comprehensive density indexes(C)and Kernel Density Estimation,the spatial distribution patterns and overlapping of protected areas in Ecological function zones,ecosystem types,agencies with crossing jurisdiction and provinces where sites located at were obtained.In view of the wetland ecosystem,which is one of the three major ecosystems in the world,476 sites with overlapping natural protected areas are further selected,and their spatial distribution characteristics are analyzed in detail.Basing on hot zones of overlapping natural protected areas,priority zones for biodiversity conservation and cultural ecosystem services,this paper proposed a framework for optimization and integration of five categories of overlapping protected areas.Suggestions are given on priorities of reassembling and associated new category,which would provide a reference scheme to the urgent needs of ongoing reform of China's nature protected areas system..The main conclusions are as follows:Taihang Mountain,Shandong Zhongshan District,Dabie Mountain,Huaiyu Mountain,Wanjiang areas,involving multiple wetlands and forest ecosystems,are overlapping natural protected hot areas.Nature reserves,Forest Parks,Scenic Spots,wetland parks and water resources scenic spots coexist most seriously.The spatial overlapping of natural protected areas in Heilongjiang,Anhui,Shandong,Henan,Hubei and Hunan provinces is significantly higher than that in other provinces and regions.In the wetland ecosystem,the spatial overlap in Hubei,Shandong,Heilongjiang,Hunan and Jiangsu provinces is obviously higher than that in other provinces and regions,which is a high density concentrated area;Dongting Lake area,Poyang Lake area,Dabie Mountain area are the hot spots where wetland resources are abundant and protection sites are concentrated,the degree of overlap protection sites is higher.Among the former departments in charge of wetland parks,water resources scenic spots and scenic spots coexist most seriously.