Effectiveness of the Qilian Mountain Nature Reserve of China in Reducing Human Impacts

Shicheng Li, Shan Su, Yanxia Liu, Xuewu Zhou, Quanxin Luo and Basanta Paudel
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Shicheng Li: Department of Land Resource Management, School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Shan Su: Department of Land Resource Management, School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Yanxia Liu: Department of Land Resource Management, School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Xuewu Zhou: Department of Land Resource Management, School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Quanxin Luo: Department of Land Resource Management, School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Basanta Paudel: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-12

Abstract: The management effectiveness of protected areas plays a key role in biodiversity and ecosystem services conservation. We evaluated the effectiveness of Qilian Mountain Nature Reserve (QMNR) in reducing human footprint ( HF ). Four dominant human activity factors, including population density, land use, road distribution, and night light, were incorporated for HF mapping. Comparisons of the HF value between inside and outside QMNR and its four functional zones were conducted. The results show that both the HF inside and outside of QMNR were increasing, but the difference between them was increasing, indicating partial management effectiveness. The north part of the central reserve has a good effect in reducing human impacts, while the effectiveness was poor at both ends of the reserve. The HF value of the most strictly managed core and buffer zones increased by 10.50 and 6.68%, respectively, for 2010–2020. The QMNR was effective in controlling population density and land use, but ineffective in reducing road construction, mining, and construction of hydropower facilities.

Keywords: human impacts; protected areas; evaluation; Qilian Mountain; road distribution; night light; land use; population density (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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