The urgency of conserving biodiversity and natural habitats is crucial worldwide. Balancing humans' needs with a growing realization of the need to maintain and protect diversity is challenging. Despite positive progress, the China management system for protected areas (PAs) still has unresolved issues.  

In a study published in Journal of Cleaner Production, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) and their collaborators explored the current status and challenges of PAs system in China, and proposed a paradigm shift towards comprehensive public governance.  

The researchers investigated how China's PAs management aligned with global objectives, explored the integration of ecological conservation with sustainable production and living, thereby resonating with the global call for sustainable practices. 

By emphasizing the shift from pure ecological protection to inclusive public governance in China's PAs, it advocated a synergistic approach that interweaves ecological health, human well-being, and economic prosperity.   

They regarded that the nationwide promotion of Ecological Conservation Redline (ECR) can effectively integrate the needs of ecological space (including PAs and other lands for ecological value realization) and other land uses (productive and living) into a unified division. In addition, different policies can be implemented in different regions, from cities to PAs, to ensure efficient and appropriate steps to promote sustainability. 

According to the researchers, China needs to reform its protected area system to achieve biodiversity conservation and sustainable development goals. This requires addressing challenges in defining PA boundaries, allocating management authority, and securing sustainable funding. A shift towards a paradigm of comprehensive public governance can better balance human rights for development and environmental sustainability. 

"By constructing a multi-stakeholder participation mechanism, we can more effectively and fairly enable the sustainable use of ecological resources and value realization of ecological products, which will help to balance ecological protection and economic development within China and beyond,” said BAI Yang of XTBG. 

Contact 

BAI Yang Ph.D Principal Investigator         

Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China                          

E-mail: baiyang@xtbg.ac.cn           

First published: 10 February 2024