A Protected Area Connectivity Evaluation and Strategy Development Framework for Post-2020 Biodiversity Conservation

Zhicong Zhao, Pei Wang, Xiaoshan Wang, Fangyi Wang, Tz-Hsuan Tseng, Yue Cao, Shuyu Hou, Jiayuan Peng and Rui Yang ()
Additional contact information
Zhicong Zhao: Institute for National Parks, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Pei Wang: Institute for National Parks, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Xiaoshan Wang: Institute for National Parks, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Fangyi Wang: Institute for National Parks, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Tz-Hsuan Tseng: Institute for National Parks, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Yue Cao: Institute for National Parks, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Shuyu Hou: Institute for National Parks, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Jiayuan Peng: Institute for National Parks, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Rui Yang: Institute for National Parks, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: Maintaining and improving the connectivity of protected areas (PAs) is essential for biodiversity conservation. The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) aims to expand the coverage of well-connected PAs and other effective area-based conservation measures to 30% by 2030. We proposed a framework to evaluate the connectivity of PAs and developed strategies to maintain and improve the connectivity of PAs based on PA connectivity indicators, and we applied this framework to China’s terrestrial PAs. We considered that the concept of PA connectivity is at the level of both PA patches and PA networks, including four aspects: intra-patch connectivity, inter-patch connectivity, network connectivity, and PA–landscape connectivity. We found that among China’s 2153 terrestrial PA patches, only 427 had good intra-patch connectivity, and their total area accounted for 11.28% of China’s land area. If inter-patch connectivity, network connectivity, and PA–landscape connectivity were taken as the criteria to evaluate PA connectivity, respectively, then the coverage of well-connected terrestrial PAs in China was only 4.07%, 8.30%, and 5.92%, respectively. Only seven PA patches have good connectivity of all four aspects, covering only 2.69% of China’s land. The intra-patch, inter-patch, network, and PA–landscape connectivity of China’s terrestrial PA network reached 93.41%, 35.40%, 58.43%, and 8.58%, respectively. These conclusions indicated that there is still a big gap between China’s PA connectivity and the Post-2020 GBF target, which urgently needs to be improved. We identified PA patches and PA networks of ecological zones that need to improve PA connectivity and identified improvement priorities for them. We also identified priority areas for connectivity restoration in existing PAs, potential ecological corridors between PAs, and priority areas for PA expansion to improve the connectivity of PAs in China. Application of our framework elsewhere should help governments and policymakers reach ambitious biodiversity conservation goals at national and global scales.

Keywords: biodiversity conservation; connectivity; protected areas; dispersal probability; least-cost distance; ecological corridor (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:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/10/1670/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/10/1670/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:10:p:1670-:d:927164

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().