Abstract
The relationship between humans and protected areas may contribute to the success of conservation efforts. The Qinling Mountains are significant to China and the rest of the world, and the Qinling Zhongnanshan UNESCO Global Geopark comprises eight distinct scenic spots with residential communities. This study investigated the Geopark’s relationship between humans and protected areas by examining local residents’ incomes and land ownership characteristics. Data were derived from a questionnaire survey of 164 residents living in or near four of the eight scenic spots. Their individual and household incomes, requisitioned farmland losses and compensations, employment, and participation were analyzed. Most respondents were aged 30–70 years, and 90.9% were locally born and raised in the region. They tended to be self-employed in food catering or accommodation services within the Geopark or near its entrance. Reliance on the Geopark for their livelihoods was significant, because they worked full-time and earned a major share of their household incomes from Geopark-related employment. Fifty respondents reported that their farmland was requisitioned during the Geopark’s establishment. However, not all of them were financially compensated, and compensation was not equally distributed among those who received it. Reforming the complex top-down administrative system and developing an effective profit-sharing scheme for local residents are suggested measures for enhancing public satisfaction and knowledge about the Geopark, both factors that were low among the respondents. Increasing the local residents’ participation in Geopark activities is an important way to avoid conflict; increasing the number of job opportunities for local residents is proposed to achieve this goal.
Highlights
Protected areas (PAs), a cornerstone of biodiversity conservation, are effective ways to mitigate the losses of biodiversity and habitat [1,2] and have long been considered significant tools for maintaining habitat integrity, species’ diversity, and representative samples of the biotopes [2,3,4,5]
This study investigated the local community in and around the Geopark, in terms of residents’ employment, occupations, financial situations, and the extent to which the local residents were satisfied with the Qinling Zhongnanshan UNESCO Global Geopark (QZUGG)
There is a lack of effective communication and cooperation among the eight scenic spots, which may negatively influence the Geopark
Summary
Protected areas (PAs), a cornerstone of biodiversity conservation, are effective ways to mitigate the losses of biodiversity and habitat [1,2] and have long been considered significant tools for maintaining habitat integrity, species’ diversity, and representative samples of the biotopes [2,3,4,5]. PAs currently cover more than 15% of the world’s land surface [7]. Some concerns have arisen that PAs should contribute to sustaining their local communities’ livelihoods [8,9,10]. Commercial interests, such as mines, dams, roads, and tourism, might put pressure on those PAs [11]. China’s total PA area currently comprises 21.02% of its territory (land area: 15.61%; marine area: 5.41%) [12]. Many scholars have researched China’s PAs, such as Xu [13], who pointed out that PAs have
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