Strengthening protected areas for giant panda habitat and ecosystem services

Ecological management based on the ecosystem approach promotes ecological protection and the sustainable use of natural resources. We developed a quantitative approach to identify the ecological function zones at the country-scale, through integrating supply and demand of ecosystem services. We selected the biologically diverse hotspot of Baoxing County, which forms a part of the Sichuan Giant Panda World Heritage Site, to explore the integration of ecosystem services supply and demand for ecosystem management. Specifically, we assessed the various support, provision, regulating, and cultural services as classified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. We applied the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs) model to spatially map habitat quality, water retention, and carbon sinks, and used statistical data to evaluate food products, animal husbandry, and product supply services. We then quantified the demands for these services in terms of population, protected species, hydropower, water, and land use. The relationship between areas of supply and areas of demand was discussed for each township, and the spatial variability in the supply–demand relationship was also considered. As a result, we spatially divided the county into six ecological functional areas, and the linkages between each region were comprehensively discussed. This study thus provides a detailed methodology for the successful implementation of an ecosystem management framework on a county-scale based on the spatial partitioning of supply and demand.

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Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of Ecological Policy Compromises Human Well-Being and Giant Panda Habitat Conservation in Giant Panda National Park

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13095013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 5013

Author(s):

Dan Zhu ◽

Degang Yang

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Socioeconomic Factors ◽

National Park ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Giant Panda ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Well Being ◽

Habitat Conservation ◽

Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity ◽

Panda Habitat

Identifying how policy, socioeconomic factors, and environmental factors influence changes in human well-being (HWB) and conservation efficiency is important for ecological management and sustainable development, especially in the Giant Panda National Park (GPNP). In this study, we systematically analyzed the differences in the conservation status of the giant panda habitat and changes in HWB over 15 years in the GPNP, which includes six mountain sites, Minshan (MS), Qionglai (QLS), Xiaoxiangling (XXL), Liangshan (LS), Qinling (QL), and Daxiangling (DXL). Redundancy analyses were used to determine the factors contributing (policy, socioeconomic factors, and environmental factors) to HWB and giant panda habitat conservation (HC). In addition, using a structural equation model (SEM), we investigated the relationship between the aforementioned three factors and their direct and indirect effects on HWB and HC. The results indicated that there was spatiotemporal heterogeneity of HWB and HC in our study area. There was an increasing number of plant species as well as an increased number of giant panda in GPNP. Generally, HWB in 2015 showed an increasing trend compared with that in 2000. Socioeconomic factors (23.6%) have the biggest influence on HWB and HC, followed by policy (23.2%) and environmental factors (19.4%). Conservation policy had a significantly positive influence on HWB (0.52), while it negatively influenced HC (−0.15). Socioeconomic factors significantly negatively influenced HWB (−0.38). The formulation and implementation of policies to promote economic development will contribute to the protection of giant pandas and their habitat. Our results provide insight on the conservation status of the giant panda habitat, HWB, and factors influencing them in different mountain sites in the GPNP, as well as having implications for the future management of the GPNP.

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Editorial: Mountain landscapes: Protected areas, ecosystem services, and future challenges

Ecosystem Services ◽

10.1016/j.ecoser.2021.101302 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 101302

Author(s):

Uta Schirpke ◽

Genxu Wang ◽

Emilio Padoa-Schioppa

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Future Challenges ◽

Mountain Landscapes

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Total Economic Value of Natural Capital - A Case Study of Piatra Craiului National Park

Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca ◽

10.15835/nbha4129338 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

pp. 608 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Bogdan POPA ◽

Claudiu COMAN ◽

Stelian A. BORZ ◽

Dan M. NITA ◽

Codrin CODREANU ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Protected Areas ◽

National Park ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Economic Value ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Distribution Analysis ◽

Economic Sectors ◽

Economic Implications ◽

Total Economic Value

In the last two decades different methodologies for assessing the economic implications of protected areas have been developed within the framework of "Total Economic Value", taking into account not only goods and services that have a price and a market but also those not priced or marketed. The present paper, by using a number of recognized methodologies applied by environmental economists around the world, estimates the economic value of ecosystem services of Piatra Craiului National Park, in one of the first attempts to frame ecosystem services valuation in Romania. The approach and results include a benefit distribution analysis, for both the economic sectors and the groups of beneficiaries. Even if the data are not comprehensive and depend on several assumptions, the paper provides very important practical and policy-relevant information on the economic value of Piatra Craiului National Park, in an attempt to stimulate increasing of the budgetary allocation and economic policy priority for protected areas in Romania.

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Diversity of macrofungal community in Bifeng Gorge: the core giant panda habitat in China

AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY ◽

10.5897/ajb11.3232 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1970-1976 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Li Shujiang ◽

Zhu Tianhui ◽

Liu Guanghai ◽

Zhu Hanmingyue

Keyword(s):

Giant Panda ◽

The Core ◽

Panda Habitat

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Challenges of assessment and mapping of ecosystem services in Bulgarian (Rhodope) and Russian (Altai) mountain protected areas in the context of post-socialist transformations and new conservation paradigms

Silva Balcanica ◽

10.3897/silvabalcanica.22.e69861 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 43-68

Author(s):

Dmitry V. Chernykh ◽

Maria Glushkova ◽

Dmitry K. Pershin ◽

Miglena Zhiyanski ◽

Alina E. Zinovieva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Altai Mountains ◽

Altai Mountain ◽

Conservation Policies ◽

Mountainous Regions ◽

Forest Exploitation ◽

Different Types

The overarching goal of this survey was to identify the challenges of ecosystem services assessment and mapping in Russian and Bulgarian mountain protected areas in the context of post-socialist transformations, new conservation paradigms and climate change. The Altai Mountains in Russia and the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria were selected as key mountain territories for comparison due to their similar characteristics: agriculture, forest exploitation, tourism activities, etc. Both in Bulgaria and in Russia, perceptions of the protected areas functioning have been changing, facilitated by global shifts. Thus, the concept of ecosystem services has now been actively introduced in nature and biodiversity conservation policies. Based on WDPA data the emergence of different types of protected areas in Russia and Bulgaria was determined. Key problems of assessment and mapping of ecosystem services in Russian and Bulgarian mountain protected areas were recognised, mainly related to the shortage and quality of baseline data. At the same time, there were also some specifics for the two countries due to their size and national legislation. Like many other mountainous regions in the world, the Rhodopes in Bulgaria and the Altai Mountains in Russia are flagships in the improvement of nature conservation strategies. These regions often participate in a variety of international conservation programmes and are constantly expanding the range of protected areas. It is generally accepted that the Altai Mountains and the Rhodopes are not only centres of biodiversity richness in their countries, but also hotspots of a variety of ecosystem services.

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The incursion of free-ranging dogs into protected areas: A spatio-temporal analysis in a network of giant panda reserves

Biological Conservation ◽

10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109423 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 265 ◽

pp. 109423

Author(s):

Yue Weng ◽

William McShea ◽

Yixin Diao ◽

Hongbo Yang ◽

Xiaofeng Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Giant Panda ◽

Temporal Analysis ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

Free Ranging

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Economic valuation and mapping of Ecosystem Services in the context of protected area management (Natural Park of Serra de São Mamede, Portugal)

One Ecosystem ◽

10.3897/oneeco.3.e26722 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cristina Marta-Pedroso ◽

Lia Laporta ◽

Ivo Gama ◽

Tiago Domingos

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Crop Production ◽

Economic Value ◽

Market Price ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Data Availability ◽

Primary Data ◽

Natural Park

Demonstrating economic benefits generated by protected areas is often pointed out as pivotal for supporting decision-making. We argue in this paper that the concept of ecosystem services (ES), defined as the benefits humans derive from ecosystems, provides a consistent framework to approach this issue as it links ecosystem functioning and benefits, including benefits with economic value. This study aimed at providing evidence on how to bring the economic value of protected areas to the decision-making process and contributing to extend current EU Member States' experience in mapping and assessing the economic value of ES in the context of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 (Action 5). In doing so, we used the Natural Park of Serra de S. Mamede (PNSSM), located in the Alentejo NUTS II region, as a case study. We followed a three-step approach to pursue our goals, entailing stakeholders' engagement for selecting relevant ES (through a participatory workshop), biophysical mapping of ES flows (based on a multi-tiered approach depending on data availability) and spatial economic estimation of such flows (using value transfer, willingness-to-pay and market price methods). Our results indicate that the ES with highest economic value are not always the ones with higher perceived value by stakeholders. For most ES, the economic value increased with increasing protection level within the park, except for the crop production service. Although no formal uncertainty or sensitivity analysis has been performed, the following range is based on a critical assessment of non-primary data used. We estimated the aggregate annual value of PNSSM to be 11 to 33M€/year (representing 0.1 to 0.3% of the regional NUTSII Alentejo Gross Domestic Product). Our findings reinforce the need to adopt mixes of monetary and non-monetary valuation processes and not to rely just on one approach or measure of value while bringing ES into protected areas management.

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