Efficiency of unlocking or locking existing protected areas for identifying complementary areas for biodiversity conservation

Feiling Yang; Ruidong Wu; Tong Jin; Yongcheng Long; Peng Zhao; Qian Yu; Longzhu Wang; JunJun Wang; Haiwei Zhao; Yang Guo

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133771

Efficiency of unlocking or locking existing protected areas for identifying complementary areas for biodiversity conservation

Sci Total Environ. 2019 Dec 1:694:133771. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133771. Epub 2019 Aug 5.

Authors

Feiling Yang¹, Ruidong Wu², Tong Jin³, Yongcheng Long⁴, Peng Zhao³, Qian Yu⁵, Longzhu Wang³, JunJun Wang¹, Haiwei Zhao¹, Yang Guo¹

Affiliations

¹ Conservation Biogeography Research Group, Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650091, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Ecosecurity, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650091, China.
² Conservation Biogeography Research Group, Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650091, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Ecosecurity, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650091, China. Electronic address: rdwu@ynu.edu.cn.
³ The Nature Conservancy China Program, B4-2 Qijiayuan Diplomatic Compound, No. 9 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Beijing 100600, China.
⁴ Southwest Branch of Society of Entrepreneur and Ecology, 17-3 Jingdong Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650217, China.
⁵ International Crane Foundation, Beijing 100029, China.

PMID: 31756816
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133771

Abstract

It is well known that existing protected areas (PAs) should function as focal areas for expanding PA systems. The optimal complementary conservation areas are often identified by implementing two approaches in systematic conservation planning, i.e., unlocking or locking existing PAs. However, evidence-based studies are lacking for clarifying the efficiencies of these two planning approaches. With Sichuan in southwest China - part of a global biodiversity hotspot - as one case, this study first assessed the ecological representativeness of existing nature reserves (NRs). Using 32 natural vegetation types as the conservation features, we then implemented a systematic conservation planning process by running Marxan software with NR-unlocked and NR-locked scenarios. A human disturbance index was also included as a penalty function in Marxan for achieving cost-effective planning. We finally investigated the efficiencies of the unlocking and locking planning approaches by comparing the outcomes of the NR-unlocked and NR-locked scenarios. We found that existing NRs were geographically biased towards the western mountainous regions with high elevations and low human disturbance levels. For achieving the same quantitative conservation targets, the total area of the NR-locked priority conservation areas was 18.6% larger than that of the NR-unlocked areas, whereas the area of NR-locked complementary areas to existing NRs was 15.3% smaller than that of NR-unlocked ones. Moreover, the NR-locked priority conservation areas had higher ecological representativeness than NR-unlocked areas. The results suggest that if a completely new PA system is to be established without considering existing PAs, the unlocking approach could more efficiently achieve the full conservation targets at lower costs of land area and with better connected habitats. When existing PAs must be used as focal areas for expansion, the locking approach is more cost-effective for filling conservation gaps by requiring smaller amounts of complementary areas. Our analysis provides evidence-based support for expanding the current PA systems in a cost-effective manner.

Keywords: Ecological representativeness; Marxan; Nature reserves; Priority conservation areas; Sichuan; Systematic conservation planning.

MeSH terms

Biodiversity*
China
Conservation of Natural Resources / methods*
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Ecology
Ecosystem