Human Pressures on Natural Reserves in Yunnan Province and Management Implications

Abstract

The analysis of status and major sources of human pressures on natural reserves (NRs) is important for optimizing their management. This study selected population density, gross domestic product (GDP) density and areal percentage of human land use to reveal the human pressures of national and provincial NRs (NNRs and PNRs) in Yunnan Province, China. We calculated three types of internal and external human pressure index (HPI) and comprehensive HPI (CHPI) for NRs. Human pressures on most of NRs were slight and light, indicating that most of NRs were well protected. Human pressures on PNRs were higher than on NNRs; with respect to five types of NRs, geological relict NRs were facing the highest human pressures, followed by wetland ecosystem NRs. Land use and population density were the main human pressures on these NRs. Yunnan Province should put the highest emphasis on three NNRs and two Ramsar site PNRs with severe CHPI, secondly pay attention to eight conservation-oriented PNRs with extreme or severe CHPI. It’s urgent for Yunnan to implement scientific policies and measures to reduce land use and population density pressures of NRs, especially with severe and extreme CHPI, by transforming internal land use and/or implementing residents’ eco-migration.