Assessment Of Ecosystem Quality In Nature Reserves Based On Ideal References And Key Indicators

As an effective measure to protect natural resources and biodiversity,nature reserves are an important carrier for the construction of ecological civilization and the guarantee of national ecological security.With the continuous increase of the number and types of nature reserves,it is necessary to objectively evaluate and compare the impact of different nature reserves on the conservation effectiveness.As a descriptive variable to measure regional ecosystem health,ecosystem quality,such as vegetation parameters,has a guiding significance for species survival and population recovery.The establishment of a comprehensive evaluation method of flagship species or umbrella species and ecosystem quality is helpful to improve the evaluation level of conservation effectiveness of nature reserves.However,it is also important to establish a new framework for rapid assessment of ecosystem quality,supported by scientific,economic and conventional principles.Here,we propose a new framework that incorporates the new concept of an ideal reference into the evaluation system,which will facilitate the comparison of results across time periods and regions.The new framework,called Ideal Reference and Key Indicators(IRKI),fully meets regional and national requirements for rapid assessment of ecosystem quality.In addition,IRKI can also identify the recovery potential and recovery cycle of nature reserves,thus promoting rational allocation of resources and improving conservation effectiveness.There are many types of nature reserves in China.By the end of 2018,China had established 2,750 nature reserves of various types,covering a total area of 1,471,700 square kilometers,accounting for about 14.86% of the land area.Therefore,it is necessary to partially adjust the assessment methods or parameters of different types of nature reserves.Overall,IRKI provides a simple,clear and comparable framework that will strongly strengthen the protection of protected areas and promote the standardization of management practices.In addition,this paper based on the "ideal reference frame and key indicators" of the nature reserve ecosystem quality assessment method,relying on Erguna,Hui River and Xilin Gol National Nature Reserve for specific cases to verify.The net primary productivity(NPP),vegetation coverage(FVC)and biomass energy density(BIO)were selected as evaluation indexes,and the ecosystem quality indexes within and throughout the nature reserves were calculated based on the potential of vegetation restoration.The results showed that :(1)From 2000 to 2018,the ecosystem quality of Ergona Nature Reserve was relatively high and showed an upward trend,and there was no significant difference in the ecosystem quality among functional areas.(2)From 2000 to 2018,the ecosystem quality of Hui River Nature Reserve was significantly lower than that of Erguna Nature Reserve,and there was no significant change over the years;(3)The ecosystem quality of Xilin Gol Nature Reserve was significantly lower than that of Erguna Nature Reserve,but the ecosystem quality of its core area showed an upward trend,and the overall ecosystem quality of Xilin Gol Nature Reserve was significantly higher than that of Erguna Nature Reserve.The evaluation method of "ideal reference frame and key indicators" can scientifically and rapidly carry out ecosystem quality assessment of nature reserves,which can not only efficiently indicate ecological changes and status quo,but also provide reference for the standardized construction and management of nature reserves,thus promoting the implementation of the development strategy of "Beautiful China".