Construction and application of the indicator system for ecosystem monitoring network in the protected areas on a national scale

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2022.0259

Abstract

Abstract:

The protected areas are crucial to the maintenance of national ecological security and improvement of biodiversity conservation. Application of real-time, high-frequency and multi-scale ecological monitoring in the protected areas serves an effective means for identifying the dynamics of ecosystem, which is key to the implement of ecosystem health management in the protected areas. However, due to the lack of a unified ecosystem monitoring and research network and the corresponding indicator system of the protected areas in China, the composition and dynamics of ecosystem in many protected areas remains unclear, which can dimmish the ability to cope with emerging issues of biodiversity conservation. Lack of the data obtained from the ecological monitoring network can also hamper the evaluation of ecosystem health status and conservation effectiveness of the protected areas on a national scale. As such, it is necessary to construct a national scale monitoring and research network for the composition and dynamics of ecosystem in the protected areas, as well as a scientific, systematic and normative indicator system for this monitoring network. By addressing the aims and objectives of biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring in the protected areas and with reference to the indicator systems of existing ecological monitoring networks both in China and abroad, this study summarized the basic principles of establishing the indicator system and the selection of indicators. Accordingly, an indicator system for the ecosystem monitoring network of the protected areas was established and applied to 6 national nature reserves for demonstration. The established indicator system consists of 30 indicators to comprehensively monitor changes in the 6 key elements that compose an ecosystem, which is habitat, biota, meteorology, soil, atmospheric and water environment, and landscape. The indicator system was effectively applied to monitor the long-term and dynamic changes in the status and evolution of ecosystem components and structures in different ecosystem types of protected areas including forest, grassland, wetland and desert. The normalized and standardized data achieved from the established monitoring network can further be used for the evaluation of conservation effectiveness and healthy management of the protected areas.

Key words: protected area, ecosystem monitoring and research network, indicator system, ecosystem component

XU Meng, TIAN Da-Shuan, WANG Yi-Heng, HE Yi-Cheng, CUI Qing-Guo, LI Yue-Lin, SHEN Xiao-Li, YUAN Zuo-Qiang, WANG Yang. Construction and application of the indicator system for ecosystem monitoring network in the protected areas on a national scale[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2022, 46(10): 1219-1233.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2022.0259

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2022/V46/I10/1219

Figures/Tables 6

Table 1 Established indicator system for ecosystem monitoring network in the protected area

Fig. 1 Ecosystem monitoring and research network of nature reserves in China.

Table 2 Geographic location, distribution area,ecoystem type cimaticontrion andvegetacon type ofthesix aionl ntre rserves sletedforth coiyetem momiong newr

Fig. 2 Plant species richness, soil carbon and nitrogen contents in monitoring plots of six national nature reserves in China (mean ± SE). CB, Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve; DH, Dinghu Mountain Nature Reserve; GT, Gutian Mountain Nature Reserve; WO, West Ordos Nature Reserve; XG, Xilin Gol Grassland Nature Reserve; ZG, Zoigê Wetland Nature Reserve. Different lowercase letters indicate significant difference among six nature reserves (p < 0.05).

Fig. 3 Net primary productivity (NPP) and its temporal stability (ecosystem stability) of six national nature reserves in China from 2001 to 2021 (mean ± SE). CB, Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve; DH, Dinghu Mountain Nature Reserve; GT, Gutian Mountain Nature Reserve; WO, West Ordos Nature Reserve; XG, Xilin Gol Grassland Nature Reserve; ZG, Zoigê Wetland Nature Reserve. Different lowercase letters indicate significant difference among six nature reserves (p < 0.05).

Fig. 4 Spatial and temporal variations in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of the six national nature reserves from 2001 to 2021. A, Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve. B, Gutian Mountain Nature Reserve. C, Dinghu Mountain Nature Reserve. D, Xilin Gol Grassland Nature Reserve. E, Zoigê Wetland Nature Reserve. F, West Ordos Nature Reserve. NDVI data used in the four plots of each nature reserve were the averages from 2001 to 2005, 2006 to 2010, 2011 to 2015, and 2016 to 2021, respectively. Areas circled by red and blue lines indicate the core zone and buffer zone of a nature reserve, respectively.

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