Balancing the Conservation and Poverty Eradication: Differences in the Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Protected Areas between Poor and Non-Poor Counties in China

Luqiong Fan, Chunting Feng, Zhixue Wang, Jing Tian, Wenjie Huang and Wei Wang
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Luqiong Fan: School of Ecology and Environment, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Chunting Feng: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Anwai Dayangfang, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100012, China
Zhixue Wang: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Anwai Dayangfang, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100012, China
Jing Tian: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Anwai Dayangfang, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100012, China
Wenjie Huang: Teachers College, Beijing Union University, Beijing 100011, China
Wei Wang: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Anwai Dayangfang, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100012, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-14

Abstract: Understanding the spatial distribution characteristics of protected areas is the basis to balance the conservation and regional development. With the increasing number and area of protected areas, China has also made decisive progress in the fight against poverty. However, the spatial distribution characteristics of various types of protected areas in poor counties in China are still unclear and lacking further analysis on the differences compared to non-poor counties. Here, we first integrated the spatial distribution data of 8133 protected areas in China and overlaid them with 832 poor counties. Then we explored the spatial distribution characteristics of protected areas and the relationship with socio-economic and natural environment in poor and non-poor counties. The results showed that the area coverage of nature reserves in poor counties in China was significantly higher than that in non-poor counties ( p < 0.001), while the area coverage of natural parks in non-poor counties was significantly higher than that in poor counties ( p < 0.05). The area coverages of protected areas in poor counties in Northeast ( p < 0.05), Southwest ( p < 0.001), Central ( p < 0.05), and East China ( p < 0.01) were significantly higher than that in non-poor counties. Furthermore, the area coverage of nature reserves in poor counties was significantly positively correlated with mean elevation ( p < 0.001), and the area coverage of natural parks in non-poor counties was significantly positively correlated with road network density ( p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with the proportion of farmland ( p < 0.001). This study can provide a reference to help China and other similar countries in the establishment of protected area systems to balance the conservation and poverty eradication for regional sustainable development.

Keywords: protected areas; poor counties; biodiversity; socio-economic; spatial distribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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