Park Ecosystems Research Articles

Spatial-temporal Change and Driving Force of Carbon Storage in Three-River-Source National Park Based on PLUS-InVEST-Geodector Model

Exploring the spatial-temporal changes, driving forces, and future development tendency of the carbon sequestration service function of the Three-River-Source National Park ecosystem has great significance for regional ecological protection and sustainable development. Historical land-use data of Three-River-Source National Park from 1990 to 2020 were selected at five-year intervals, and based on the PLUS-InVEST-Geodector model, the spatial-temporal changes of historical carbon storage were analyzed, and the driving forces of spatial-temporal variation were explored combined with multiple factors. The carbon storage of Three-River-Source National Park in 2030 was predicted under the scenarios of natural development and ecological protection. The results showed that： ① The carbon storage of Three-River-Source National Park showed a fluctuating characteristic of increase-decrease-increase-decrease from 1990 to 2020, the carbon storage was increased by 41.85×106 t overall, and the grassland took the largest contribution. ② The spatial distribution characteristics of carbon storage in Three-River-Source National Park had little change between 1990 to 2020, and the evolution of the spatial distribution was relatively stable. The contribution ratio of the Yangtze River source park, Lancang River source park, and Yellow River source park was 7∶1∶2, which was roughly equivalent to the park area. ③ The major driving factors of the spatial-temporal variation of carbon storage in Three-River-Source National Park from 1990 to 2020 were： FVC, soil type, and annual precipitation. The interactive detection of each driving factor showed dual-factor enhancement and nonlinear enhancement. ④ The carbon storage of Three-River-Source National Park was predicted to decrease by 4.87% and 3.98% from 2020 to 2030 under the scenarios of natural development and ecological protection, respectively, and the carbon storage reduction under the ecological protection scenario had a significant inhibitory effect. The findings can provide data support for national spatial planning of Three-River-Source National Park and the enhancement of terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage.

Towards an Indigenous-Informed Multispecies Collaboratory

Abstract How does Australia’s latest Indigenous defeat relate to Environmental Education? The answer is direct complicity. This paper begins with the premise that the failure of Australia’s 2023 referendum on “The Voice to Parliament” is directly connected with education. The chapter builds on the proposition that local and Indigenous public knowledge could — and should — be the heart of environmental education. We apply a post-qualitative practice that is underpinned by innovative feminisms and the post-qualitative methods within a Multispecies Collaboratory, an experimental way of transforming our learning by attending to the responsive, relational world of all beings. We use this practice to think with while exploring socio-ecological relations, especially our own. Collaboratory colleagues include rivers with their kincentric ecologies, urban park ecosystems and backyard kin or families. Journaling, creative writing and photography record our learning journeys. The article concludes that continuing colonisation, epistemic violence and a culture of denial reinforce the dominant paradigm of silencing Indigenous voices. We argue that an Indigenous-informed onto-epistemology of living place can — and should — inform the heart and practice of environmental education, and an Indigenous-informed Multispecies Collaboratory is one way to deepen the multispecies engagement that underpins environmental education.

Spatiotemporal Variations in Carbon Sources and Sinks in National Park Ecosystem and the Impact of Tourism

The capacity of carbon sinks varies among the different types of ecosystems, and whether national parks, as an important type of nature reserve, have a high carbon sink capacity (CSC) and whether eco-tourism in national parks affects their CSC are the main scientific issues discussed. Using MODIS Net Primary Production (NPP) product data, this study analysed the spatiotemporal variation in carbon sources and sinks (CSSs) in the ecosystem of Huangshan National Park from 2000 to 2020, as well as the impact of tourism on these carbon sources and sinks. The findings indicate that, while the ecosystems of national parks generally have a strong CSC, they may not always function as carbon sinks, and during the study period, Huangshan National Park served as a carbon source for four years. Temporally, the CSSs in the ecosystem of the national park exhibit a cyclical pattern of change with a four-year cycle and strong seasonality, with spring and autumn functioning as carbon sinks, and summer and winter as carbon sources. Spatially, the CSSs of the national park ecosystem exhibited a vertical band spectrum of spatial distribution, and the CSC showed a trend of gradual enhancement from low altitude to high altitude. Tourism is a major factor that has an impact on the CSC of national park ecosystems.

Ecosystem Services and Public Perception of Green Infrastructure from the Perspective of Urban Parks: A Case Study of Luoyang City, China

As one form of urban green infrastructure, city parks provide essential ecosystem services and serve as a vital link connecting citizens with natural ecosystems. The public, as the primary beneficiaries of urban park ecosystem services, plays a crucial role in guiding the improvement and development trends of urban park planning. Most existing studies assess the comprehensive value of green spaces from a macro scale, with few focusing on the cultural and regulatory ecosystem services of urban parks and public perception of these services at the park level. This study targets 11 typical urban parks in Luoyang City, collecting 771 samples through field mapping and surveys. It analyzes users’ socio-demographic characteristics, perception abilities, usage preferences, and service satisfaction, linking these subjective factors with objective elements of the park environment, such as fitness and recreational facilities. The results indicate that respondents with knowledge of ecosystem services are better able to evaluate and understand services such as air pollution reduction and noise reduction in parks, while those without such knowledge tend to focus more on services that they can intuitively perceive, such as biodiversity conservation and microclimate regulation. Additionally, the middle-income group exhibits a higher level of awareness of park ecosystem services, which depends on their active social participation. The findings of this study suggest that enhancing public understanding of ecosystem services through environmental education is key to improving the quality of urban ecosystems.

Sustainable development of forest parks for active recreation: A balance between nature conservation and physical education

The study aims to comprehensively assess the negative impacts of various activities carried out by visitors to natural areas, including forest parks, on ecosystems. The research methodology included an analysis of forest park ecosystems Gotova-Dangel and Logara forest parks, monitoring ecosystem changes, which provided objective data on the impact of human activity. The study developed recommendations aimed at minimising the negative effects of these activities on the environment. The main results of the study demonstrated that walking leads to soil compaction, which in turn hurts water circulation and aeration of soil layers. This phenomenon can also cause damage to rare species of plants and trees that are vulnerable to changes in their natural environment. In addition, cycling causes soil erosion, which leads to the destruction of vegetation, which in turn negatively affects the environmental sustainability of the region. This can create conditions for the degradation of natural ecosystems and a decrease in biodiversity. Camping causes pollution of the area, including dumping garbage and other waste, which leads to a decrease in the number of animals living in forest environments, with serious consequences for the ecological balance and conservation of wildlife. The findings highlight the need to introduce clearly defined trails for pedestrian traffic, create specialised bicycle routes, and develop environmentally responsible camping practices. This will significantly reduce the negative impact on the forest ecosystem. The research is relevant for the conservation of biodiversity as well as for maintaining the ecological balance in forest parks, which is critical for the sustainable development of natural resources and the preservation of the environment for future generations

Ecological and evolutionary processes involved in shaping microbial habitat generalists and specialists in urban park ecosystems.

Urban parks, as an important urban greenspace, play essential roles in ecosystem services and are important hotspots for microbes. Microbial diversity is driven by different ecological and evolutionary processes, while little is currently known about the distinct roles of ecological and evolutionary features in shaping microbial diversity in urban park ecosystems. We explored the ecological and evolutionary characteristics of prokaryotic and microeukaryotic habitat generalists and specialists in urban park ecosystems based on a representative set of different habitats. We found that different ecological and evolutionary drivers jointly maintained and regulated microbial diversity in urban park microbiomes through analyzing the community assembly process, ecological roles in hierarchical interaction, and species diversification potential. These findings significantly advance our understanding regarding the mechanisms governing microbial diversity in urban park ecosystems.

A practical and pragmatic way to assess deeper motivations for ecosystems preservation in developing country – The case of banc d’Arguin National Park (Mauritania)

The core of this paper is an evaluation of the willingness to pay for non-use values of the ecosystem services related to the Banc d'Arguin National Park in Mauritania. This coastal protected area, the largest in Africa, has existed for more than forty years and plays a major role in the conservation of biodiversity. We use contingent valuation to estimate the willingness to pay by Mauritanian populations for the protection of biodiversity in the park. Results show that the non-use value accounts for 12–29% of the total economic value attributed to the park's ecosystem services. Interestingly, a correlation exists between the familiarity with the park and the living conditions of people interviewed and their willingness to pay: rural and distant populations have a lower willingness to pay than closer or urban population. The results also highlight that the protection of biodiversity is compatible with the maintenance of the Imraguen way of life since their fishing practices are based on traditional sustainable catch techniques.

From sounds to science on public lands: Using emerging tools in terrestrial bioacoustics to understand national park soundscapes

The National Park Service manages over 400 units across the United States, each with unique resource protection needs. Many parks have natural resource conservation priorities that include the protection of natural soundscapes and the sound-producing species who contribute to them. It is challenging, however, to translate terabytes of raw audio into applied information for the diverse research and management questions posed by individual parks. Recent advances in terrestrial bioacoustics are making this process more tractable, particularly as BirdNET has emerged as an extensible off-the-shelf tool equipped to detect diverse assemblages of sound-producing species across varied park ecosystems. We illustrate the applied utility of using and adapting this emerging tool in combination with open code and visualizations to answer multi-taxa questions about occurrence, phenology, and wildlife responses to management. This work demonstrates both the iterative nature and challenges inherent to keeping a federal agency astride the leading edge in a rapidly progressing, data-heavy field, amid a backdrop of global change.

Evaluating urban park ecosystem services and modeling improvement scenarios

Three ecosystem services of the 25 public parks in Bangkok, including carbon sequestration, avoided runoff, four air pollutant removals (CO, NO2, PM10, and PM2.5), and the relevant monetary values, were determined using i-Tree Eco software. Two modeling scenarios (MS) including MS1 (no greening improvement) and MS2 (improvement by increasing either green area or tree planting, or both in the parks) with tree annual mortality rates (AMR) of 1 and 3% were developed to forecast the parks' ecosystem services for 50 years after 2020 (2021–2071). The results revealed the synergistic interactions of the different tree planting specifications (MS1 and MS2) and tree mortality rates on the parks' ecosystem services. For MC2 with the assigned 1% AMR, the parks’ optimal ecosystem services were obtained and the average annual monetary value (0.55 million USD) of the total ecosystem services of the 25 parks over the 50-year forecast was 150% higher than that (0.22 million USD) in 2020. Based on MS1 and MS2, tree rotations should be conducted in the parks after 2057 and 2065, respectively, for the low tree AMR (≤1%) but not later than 2041 and 2043, respectively, for the higher tree AMR.

Increased soil penetration resistance drives degrees of hemeroby in vegetation of urban parks

Urban parks provide a variety of ecosystem services, and a range of management practices promote their maximisation. The species diversity of plant communities is a factor in the maintenance of ecosystem services. The reconstruction of parks is one of the management practices, but the environmental impact of such activities is not clear. The reconstruction of parks affects vegetation and soil cover, and the interconnection of these components of the urban park ecosystem has not been studied before. The study revealed the features of variability of physical properties of soil and vegetation cover and identified their interconnection in the conditions of urban park reconstruction. The study was conducted in the recreational area of the Botanical Garden of Oles Honchar Dnipro National University (Ukraine). The park was studied in the area where reconstruction activities had previously been carried out. During the reconstruction process, walkways were restored, shrubs were removed, old or damaged trees were excavated, and tree crowns were trimmed. Young trees were planted in place of the removed old trees. Old outbuildings that significantly impaired the aesthetic impression of the park were also dismantled. The reconstruction involved transport and construction equipment. Samples were collected within transects, two of which were located in the reconstruction area, and two other transects were located in a similar area of the park where no reconstruction was carried out. The plant community was found to consist of 65 species. The mean level of alpha diversity was 11.5 species and beta diversity was 5.7. The alpha diversity was higher in the reconstructed park. The principal component analysis of the variability of soil properties extracted four principal components with eigenvalues greater than one. The principal components 1 and 3 reflect the variability of soil properties induced by the park's reconstruction, while the principal components 2 and 4 reflect variability that may be caused by other anthropogenic factors unrelated to the park's reconstruction, or may be due to natural variability of the soil cover. The principal component 1 indicates a uniform increase in the soil penetration resistance as a result of the application of technological processes during the reconstruction. This effect may be the result of the direct technological impact of the mechanisms employed and the large number of employees involved in the park's reconstruction. The condition of the crown space of the park plantation can explain the variation in soil penetration resistance. The increase in the height and projective cover of the grass vegetation is due to a decrease in the closure of the stand crowns, but the effect of such coordinated stand and grass dynamics on soil penetration resistance is observed only at a depth of 25–55 cm. This effect can be explained by the influence of the plant root system on the physical state of the soil. The root system of herbaceous plants is capable of loosening the soil and reducing its soil penetration resistance. The reconstruction of the park led to an increase in the hemeroby of the plant community. The criterion for the success of the reconstruction may be an increase in the attractiveness of the park for visitors without the risk of increasing hemeroby. The trend of increasing hemeroby clearly coincides with the direction of transformation of soil conditions, which are indicated by the principal component 1. The increase in the soil penetration resistance is a driver of the growth of vegetation cover hemeroby. The physical environment of the soil cover acts as an important environmental filter that affects the structure of the vegetation cover and the species composition of plant species complexes.

Sensitivity of Taraxacum officinalis (L.) Weber ex F. H. Wigg Pollen to aerogenic pollution in the conditions of a mega city

Aim. To determine the consequences of the impact of automobile emissions on the environment of the city of Kyiv using the palynological method. Methods. The quality of Taraxacum officinalis (L.) Weber ex F. H. Wigg pollen was determined by the iodine method (Gram staining). All pollen grains without typical signs of morphological structure (that is, all but normally developed) were considered teratomorphic. Results. The effect of aerogenous load on the viability of Taraxacum officinalis plant pollen was studied at test sites of park ecosystems of the city of Kyiv with different traffic intensities and proximity to city highways. It was established that in the conditions of the metropolis under various effects of air pollution, the quality indicators of the pollen of the bioindicator remain high, within 77.79 % (test site No. 1, which is located closest to the highways, where Nox is 2.11 g/s, CH – 2,86 g/s) to 81.77 % (test site No. 2 in Mariinsky Park, which has the best environmental conditions: the mixture of nitrogen oxides is 0.41, which is almost five times less than at test site No. 1 in Peremohy Park). The largest share of teratomorphic pollen (34.98 %) was recorded in T. officinalis plants in Peremogy Park test site No. 1, the smallest (26.86 %) was found in plants growing in Mariinsky Park at test site No. 2. When analyzing the data, it was determined that a high level of inverse correlation has an indicator of the fertility of pollen grains with all investigated components of air pollution (r = from -0.57 – Pb compounds to -0.73 – soot). Conclusions. Therefore, the qualitative indicators of the pollen of the phytoindicator T. officinalis can be recommended for use in the system of ecological monitoring of the environment with different degrees of aerogenic load.

The relationship between perceived restorativeness and place attachment for hikers at Jeju Gotjawal Provincial Park in South Korea: the moderating effect of environmental sensitivity.

Jeju Gotjawal Provincial Park provides visitors with opportunities for outdoor recreation and informs visitors of the environmental significance of the park's ecosystem. This study attempted to examine how the perceived restorativeness of park visitors influenced their place attachment. In addition, the moderating effect of environmental sensitivity on the hypothesized relationship was explored. Using the purposive sampling method, 408 surveys were collected at Jeju Gotjawal Provincial Park. The hypotheses were tested by confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis, and invariance tests using Lisrel 8.70. The results indicated that perceived restorativeness had a positive influence on place attachment (place identity and place dependence). Further, the hypothesized relationship was stronger for the visitors with higher environmental sensitivity, compared to those with weaker environmental sensitivity. Park managers should consider ways to increase the perceived restorativeness of visitors as they experience the natural environment at the park. Also, since environmental sensitivity played an important role in shaping the perceived restorativeness-place attachment relationship, there is a need for educational programs that can inform visitors of the significance of the natural environment to increase their affection for nature.

China’s National Park Construction Contributes to Carbon Peaking and Neutrality Goals

The official establishment of China’s national parks marks a new stage in the construction of China’s ecological civilization system. National parks systematically protect the areas with the richest biodiversity and the most complete ecosystem processes in China. This is beneficial not only for China’s natural conservation work, but also for the world’s response to environmental issues, such as climate change. Based on remote sensing images of land use in the four periods 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, this study calculated the land use changes in each national park during the corresponding period. Using the Plus model LEAS module, the driving factors of land use change in the national parks were studied and explored. In addition, the study used the InVEST model carbon storage module, using remote sensing images from different periods and the corresponding carbon pools of each national park as the basic data for model operation, to obtain the carbon storage changes in each national park over the past 30 years. Based on the hotspot analysis function, the hotspot areas of carbon storage changes in the national parks in the past 30 years were determined. Consequently, based on the CARS module of the PLUS model, the carbon storage in Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park in 2030 was estimated under different scenarios. Research suggested that, except for Sanjiangyuan National Park where grassland is the main land use type, the other four national parks are all dominated by forests, and the expansion and changes in the main land use types were due to human activities. In the past 30 years, the carbon storage in China’s national park ecosystem has mainly shown a trend of first increasing and then gradually decreasing. Based on the changes in carbon storage in the national park, restoration scenarios were simulated for the core protected and generally controlled areas of Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park. Under the ideal scenario, the highest value of carbon storage would be achieved by 2030, which would be 7,468,250 t higher than that in 2020. The present study provides a reference for the regional management of China’s national parks and further confirms that the implementation of the national park system can enhance China’s ability to achieve carbon peaking and neutrality goals.

Magnifier or refractor? Exploring the impact of geographical indication on people’s perception of the value of cultural ecosystem services based on the SolVES model

Purpose/SignificanceTo a certain extent, geographical indication (GI) protects the ecosystem of product origin, but there is still a lack of quantitative evidence on its cultural spillover effect. The mechanism of the impact of geo-certified landscapes on people’s perceived value of cultural ecosystem services (CESs) should be explored.Methods/ProceduresIn this study, two urban forest parks, Changqing and Zhongshan, which differ mainly in terms of geo-certified landscapes, were selected in Beihai, Guangxi. Basically, homogeneous volunteers were recruited, and photos of value labels were collected from their independent visits to two parks. The SolVES model was used to explore the effect of the presence or absence of geo-certified landscapes in urban park ecosystems on people’s CESs needs and the relation to the spatial context of the landscape.Results/ConclusionsThe results show that GI significantly enhance people’s perception of human CESs value of landscape elements, and clarifies the correspondence perception relationship between CESs value types and each landscape element. In addition to the spillover effect on humanistic value perception, GI also attracts and transfers people’s esthetic attention to the natural landscape itself to a certain extent. And these two effects will also spread to the ecosystem that the landscape belongs to.

Linking biodiversity and ecological function through extensive microeukaryotic movement across different habitats in six urban parks.

Highly diverse but divergent microeukaryotes dwell in all types of habitats in urban park ecosystems. Extensive microbial migration occurs between both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Microbial movement is beneficial to the maintenance of biodiversity and the exchange of functional guilds.

Abundance and diversity of soil arthropods in the secondary forest and park at the University of Bengkulu

Soil ecosystems are ecosystems related to the degradation of organic matter. University of Bengkulu is an area that has two kinds of soil ecosystems; secondary forest ecosystems and park ecosystems. Arthropods are one of the faunas living in the University of Bengkulu campus ecosystem. Camponotus dominates the secondary forest area, while Solenopsis dominates the park ecosystem. Data were obtained from two ecosystems (secondary forest ecosystem and park ecosystem). The results show that there are five classes with 199 individuals, while in the park ecosystem, there are four classes with 250 individuals.The secondary forest ecosystem diversity index value is 2,73, and the ecosystem diversity index value is 1,91. The evenness index value of the secondary forest ecosystem is 0,78, and the park ecosystem is 0,76. The secondary forest ecosystem dominance index value is 0,09, and the park ecosystem dominance index is 0,17. The diversity of soil arthropods in secondary forest and park ecosystems is in the category of moderate diversity. The even distribution of soil arthropods in both ecosystems is high. Moreover, there is no dominance by one type of soil arthropods in both ecosystems. The diversity of arthropods in the secondary forest ecosystem is higher than that of the park ecosystem. The number of individuals in the park ecosystem is higher than in the secondary forest ecosystem. In both ecosystems, the most commonly found are from the Formicidae family

Wetland Ecological Restoration and Payment for Ecosystem Service Standard: A Case Study of Ganjiangyuan National Wetland Park

Wetland resources in wetland parks are unique natural resources. Discussing the ecological restoration and compensation standards of wetland parks plays an important guiding role in the construction of wetland protection systems. Based on the characteristics of wetland resources, using wetland ecosystem evaluation, ecosystem services evaluation, alternative cost, and conditional value methods, nine secondary indices were determined to evaluate the ecosystem services of Ganjiangyuan National Wetland Park. The results are as follows: (1) Ganjiangyuan National Wetland Park ecosystem evaluation result was “excellent,” the ecosystem service value of the wetland park is 43,922,014.39 yuan/hm2·year, among which the hydrology regulation value is the largest (19,257,869.14 yuan/hm2·year) and the food production value is the smallest (12,900.76 yuan/hm2·year). (2) The ecological restoration of Ganjiangyuan National Wetland Park should be based on improvements in hydrological regulations, waste treatment, entertainment culture, and biodiversity conservation. In conjunction with the strategic needs of wetland protection and social economy, wetland park restoration can contribute to urban development. (3) The upper and lower limits of the ecological compensation standard in the study area were calculated to be 310.49 and 257.87 yuan/hm2·year, respectively. Research shows that the ecosystem service value of wetland parks is huge, especially in terms of water conservation and waste treatment. It is necessary to pay attention to ecological benefits while reaping the economic benefits of wetland parks. Therefore, the results of this study provide a theoretical reference for the ecological compensation of wetland parks.

Golestan national park's ecosystem services, a case with brown bears habitat suitability

Golestan national park's ecosystem services, a case with brown bears habitat suitability

Golestan national park's ecosystem services, a case with brown bears habitat suitability

Golestan national park's ecosystem services, a case with brown bears habitat suitability

Assessment and spatial partitioning of ecosystem services importance in Giant Panda National Park: To provide targeted ecological protection.

Giant Panda National Park is crucial for China's ecological security strategic pattern known as "two screens and three belts." The importance assessment and classification of ecosystem services in giant panda national parks has an important guiding role in the protection of giant panda national park ecosystems. In this study, we examined four indicators of habitat quality: carbon storage, water conservation, and soil and water conservation. Combined with data analysis were used to evaluate and classify the importance of ecosystem services in the study area. The results showed that: (1) the overall habitat quality index in the study area was relatively high, and the index was generally greater than 0.5. The total carbon storage was 60.5 × 106 t, and the highest carbon storage in the region was 16.9533 t. The area with the highest water conservation reached 715.275 mm. The total soil conservation was 2555.7 × 107 t. (2) From the perspective of spatial characteristics, the habitat quality in the study area presented a spatial distribution pattern of high-low from west to east. The carbon storage presented a spatial distribution pattern of high-low from east to west. The soil conservation presented a spatial pattern of decreasing from west to east, and the water conservation increased from west to east. (3) We divided the research into four levels of importance: The area of general importance in the study site accounted for 1017.58 km2 and was distributed in the northwest of the study site. The moderately important areas were distributed in the east of the study site, with an area of 1142.40 km2. The highly important areas were distributed in the west of the study site, totaling 2647.84 km2. Extremely important areas were distributed in the middle, with an area of 1451.32 km2. (4) The grid cell scale of the study area was used as the dataset to determine the weighting. This makes the weighting more objective and ensures that the spatial distribution of areas with different degrees of importance will be more accurate.