Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 9, 2026
10:23
A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles
Published on: July 11, 2025
545
Incorporating species information to optimize the framework for priority conservation area identification: An
Chunyue Zhang1, Jing Li1, Boyan Li1
1School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, China.
Journal of Environmental Management
|December 2, 2025
Summary
Prioritizing conservation areas (PCAs) in the Qinling-Daba Mountains identified core zones and revealed that soil conservation offers the highest efficiency. PCAs are smaller but more cost-effective than existing nature reserves.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Nature reserves are crucial for biodiversity and ecosystem services, but resource limitations necessitate prioritizing conservation areas (PCAs).
- Traditional methods for identifying PCAs often lack comprehensive data and can be uncertain.
- Integrating species data with habitat quality is essential for effective conservation planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and evaluate prioritizing conservation areas (PCAs) in the Qinling-Daba Mountains by integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services.
- To compare the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of PCAs against existing nature reserves.
- To determine the optimal conservation strategies for multiple ecosystem services.
Main Methods:
- Quantified biodiversity using MaxEnt and InVEST Habitat Quality module.
- Assessed ecosystem services including water yield (InVEST), carbon sequestration (CASA), and soil conservation (RUSLE).
- Employed the Zonation model to integrate conservation themes and prioritize areas.
Main Results:
- PCAs were smaller than existing reserves, with Taibai Mountain and Fulong Mountain-Shennongding identified as stable core zones.
- Soil conservation services showed the highest efficiency across all scenarios, while carbon sequestration was the lowest.
- PCAs prioritizing water yield were most cost-effective, whereas soil conservation PCAs were the most expensive.
Conclusions:
- Prioritizing conservation areas (PCAs) offers a more efficient approach to conservation compared to existing reserves, especially when considering cost-effectiveness.
- Soil conservation consistently demonstrates the highest and most stable efficiency, making it a key service to prioritize.
- Integrating multiple ecosystem services and biodiversity data is crucial for developing effective conservation strategies and identifying optimal protection priorities.
Related Concept Videos
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
20.9K
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
20.9K
02:51Multi-species Conserved Sequences
4.6K
Next-generation sequencing technologies have created large genomic databases of a variety of animals and plants. Ever since the human genome project was completed, scientists studied the genome of primates, mammals, and other phylogenetically distant living beings. Such large-scale studies have provided new insights into the evolutionary relationship between organisms.
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved...
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved...
4.6K
02:07Conservation of Declining Populations
12.5K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
12.5K
02:04Conservation of Small Populations
16.6K
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...
16.6K
01:54Convergent Evolution
31.3K
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
31.3K
01:57What is Conservation Biology?
23.9K
Conservation biology is a scientific field that focuses on the preservation of biodiversity in order to protect ecosystems while meeting the needs of the human population. Humans require properly functioning ecosystems to maintain our supply of natural resources, including food, medicines, and building materials.
23.9K