Abstract
The creation of nature reserves is the most direct way to save endangered species populations and their habitat. Development of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) nature reserve network in China was initiated in the 1960s, though the effort to create new reserves boomed considerably after the year 2000. Given this rapid development of protected areas in panda habitats, and the potential conflicting interests between conservation administrations and local economic development, it is essential to assess the role of new nature reserves in the overall giant panda conservation effort and reserve network. We utilized data from national giant panda surveys conducted in 2000 and 2012 to compare the size, spatial use, and distribution of panda populations, as well as the habitat suitability and connectivity in the Northern Qionglai Mountains between the two survey years. Our results show that although the total giant panda population in the study area did not change remarkably, local changes did occur. Most notably, the population in Wolong Nature Reserve declined by 27.3% (N = 39) and the population in Caopo Nature Reserve increased by 71.4% (N = 29) over the 12-year study period. We also found habitat suitability and availability decreased in both Wolong (12.4%) and Caopo (7.4%), but that the relative density of giant pandas declined (19.2%) and increased (84.6%) at each site, respectively. The distance between centers of high IUA were more distant in 2012 (14.1±1.9km) than that in 2000 (6.1±0.9km; t = -7.4, df = 5, p = 0.001), showing a scattered spatial pattern. Habitat availability decreased by 42% within the corridor between the two reserves, however panda occurrences in the corridor increased 24.6%. Compared to the total number of encounters, the proportion of the corridor increased 45.76%. Our results show the importance and success of the newly established Caopo to the conservation of giant pandas, and how crucial it is to identify and repair reserve corridors. Furthermore, we propose criteria for future nature reserve network management and investment, which is applicable for other endangered species conservation practices.
Highlights
The creation of protected areas, including nature reserves and national parks, is one of the most effective measures to conserve endangered species, as well as the habitats and ecosystems necessary for their survival [1, 2]
The projected giant panda habitat model for the 2012 survey data resulted in area under curve (AUC) values of 0.94 with the model training data and 0.89 with the test data, indicating reliable prediction ability
2012, available habitat decreased in Wolong by 12.4%(HLR) to 48,257 ha (AHR = 24.12%), and in Caopo by 7.4% (HLR) to 19,779 ha (AHR = 35.56%) (Fig 2)
Summary
The creation of protected areas, including nature reserves and national parks, is one of the most effective measures to conserve endangered species, as well as the habitats and ecosystems necessary for their survival [1, 2]. Many nature reserves with long histories, such as Yellowstone National Park in the U.S.A. and Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, have contributed notably to the conservation of the wildlife and habitats within their boundaries [3, 4]. Beyond these well-established nature reserves, developing countries worldwide increasingly seek to mitigate biodiversity declines by creating their own reserves [5, 6]. Considerable conflicts often exist between the conservation of natural resources and their exploitation for economic development [7] Given that these resources are often important to both wildlife and humans, it is essential to evaluate the performance of newly established reserves as nature reserve networks expand. Such information can be used to increase the efficiency of natural resource management, and limit the amount of land, funding, and other resources that are poorly used
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