Formulating win-win management plans in Protected Areas (PAs) based on Key Ecosystem services (KESs): An application in the Shennongjia National Park, China

Abstract

Exploring win-win approaches to ecological conservation and community development goals is a central issue in the management of PAs. Achieving sustainable management of ESs in PAs is more of a social governance issue, requiring the SES managers to understand the diverse tradeoffs among ESs and well-beings and design management plans with supportive governance processes and institutions. To solve this issue, ESs importance was chosen as the entry point, which is good at "understanding" but weak in "designing" in most cases. We proposed a "KESs-based PAs management plans formulating framework," which is born out of the ESs importance analysis and knowledge for win-win management in PAs. Through the six steps and two tools ("Identification Methodology for PAs KESs" and the "Standard Strategies for PAs KESs Management") embedded in the framework, the win-win management plan for dual goals could be formulated. By applying the framework in the Shennongjia National Park in China, we obtained three directions for adjusting strategies and eight directions for adjusting measures for the National Park Services to formulate management plans. The framework promotes the sustainable management of ESs in PAs by making up for the gap in applying ESs importance in designing feasible, specific, and systematic management plans with policies and institutions.

Keywords: Ecosystem Services importance; Key Ecosystem Services (KESs); Management plan; Protected Areas (PAs); Shennongjia National Park; Strategies and measures.