Systematic conservation planning considering ecosystem services can optimize the conservation system in the...

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Protected areas are crucial for biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• China is establishing a nature reserve system (NRS) centered on national parks.
• The Qinling-Daba Mountains are vital for biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize the nature reserve system (NRS) in the Qinling-Daba Mountains using systematic conservation planning (SCP).
• To incorporate ecosystem services (carbon storage, water yield, soil conservation, habitat quality) into conservation planning.
• To compare the optimized NRS with the existing protected area system.

Main Methods:

• Systematic conservation planning (SCP) was applied to optimize the NRS.
• Assessments of carbon storage (CS), water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), and habitat quality (HQ) were conducted.
• The optimized scheme was compared against the original protected area system.

Main Results:

• The optimized NRS in the Qinling-Daba Mountains expanded protected areas by 52,000 km².
• Habitat fragmentation was reduced, with patch density decreasing.
• The optimized scheme achieved over 30% conservation for CS, WY, SC, and HQ, improving efficiency for WY and HQ.

Conclusions:

• The optimized NRS enhances ecosystem service supply and national ecological security.
• Incorporating ecosystem services into NRS planning is vital for sustainable development.
• The findings offer a valuable reference for establishing NRS in other regions.