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GIAHS and Community-Based Conservation in National Parks

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 17231

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Qingwen Min

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Guest Editor

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: ecosystem and natural resources management; community-based conservation in national parks; multi-functionality of agriculture; agricultural heritage systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Jian Peng

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Guest Editor

School of Management, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: national park management; sustainable tourism; community-based tourism

Dr. Yehong Sun

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Guest Editor

Tourism College, Beijing Union University, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: heritage tourism; dynamic conservation of agricultural heritage systems; tourism development and planning

Dr. Lingyun Liao

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Guest Editor

College of Arts and Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Interests: national park and protected area planning; heritage conservation; community planning and rural landscape planning and design

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nature conservation worldwide has been shifting from separating “wilderness” from people to more inclusive approaches of win–win for both nature and humans since the 1980s. This evolution of approaches that involve communities and local people in protection strategies has paralleled new understanding of the dynamics of ecology, where nature is more recognised to be dynamic, changing, and with man a part of, not separate from, an integrated whole (Botkin 1990).

Community-based conservation thus emerges and spans a wide range of approaches that share the dual belief that the involvement of communities living in national parks and reserves is both ethnically fair and ecologically effective. The conventional “Yellowstone model” growing out of the national park system of the United States is considered unsuitable for inhabited landscapes, and traditional and local societies are becoming the solution to conservation instead of being the problem. The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), for example, are such landscapes that are living and evolving systems of human communities in an intricate relationship with their territory, cultural or agricultural landscape, or biophysical and wider social environment. The resilience of many GIAHS sites has been developed and adapted to cope with climatic variability to maintain biodiversity and essential ecosystem services. Therefore, the conservation of GIAHS and the application of the accumulated knowledge and experience to the management and use of resources in national parks need to be promoted.

However, there are only limited assessments of community-based conservation practices in terms of the adoption of traditional wisdom and the adaptation of the evolving productive landscapes. In addition, China is setting up its national park system during the mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation while revitalizing rural areas. Therefore, community-based conservation must be viewed from a broader lens that encompasses experience and current development.

This Special Issue aims to address the efficiency of community-based conservation in national parks and similar area-based conservation measures such as GIAHS sites around the world. It will include papers covering a wide range of aspects related to rural communities’ participation in conservation. In particular, we would like to highlight papers that reveal key factors that empower the rural community and impact various outcomes of ecological, economic, and social outcomes. Papers addressing the positive impact of community participation in certain ways, such as from direct involvement in planning, concessional operation, conservation-compatible livelihoods, etc., are especially welcome. Selected papers will offer examples of typical community-based approaches in area-based conservation measures (including biodiversity conservation and natural resource management).

Prof. Dr. Qingwen Min
Prof. Dr. Jian Peng
Dr. Yehong Sun
Dr. Lingyun Liao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
community-based conservation
national park
protected areas
social and ecological outcomes
local communities
participation
sustainability
ecosystem services

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2332 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Emergy-Based Sustainability Evaluation of the Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System on the South Bank of Taihu Lake, China

by Xingguo Gu, Ying Wang, Keyi Shi, Fuyan Ke, Shanting Ying and Qixian Lai

Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10463; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141710463 - 23 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1302

Abstract

The Taihu Lake drainage basin is the birthplace of the Mulberry-dyke and Fish-pond System (MFS), a traditional eco-agricultural system. In 2017, the largest and best-preserved “Zhejiang Huzhou Mulberry-dyke and Fish-pond System” located by the South Bank of Taihu Lake, China was recognized as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and its value has been appreciated. As a dynamic heritage, the sustainable development of MFS is a fundamental requirement of the conservation of GIAHS. In this regard, it is necessary to figure out an approach to evaluating the status of its sustainable development. This paper analyzes and contrasts the emergy embodied in the three patterns of MFS over different periods, then constructs an index system of sustainability evaluation involving the production and consumption processes based on that. Finally, it provides the evaluation and analysis. The three patterns of MFS differ in the system structure. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties (abbreviated as Ming-Qing pattern), MFS was an integrated system compromised of mulberry cultivation, silkworm breeding, fish breeding, and sheep breeding, while other patterns exclude sheep breeding, but increase the input of fertilizer, and add the production of mulberry-leaf tea and other local specialties. The results show that the MFS in the Ming-Qing pattern has the highest integrated evaluation index of sustainable development, followed by the traditional MFS pattern and the new MFS pattern employed nowadays. This indicates that the current capability of sustainable development has decreased compared to that in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The integrated evaluation index regarding the consumption process of the new MFS pattern is higher than the traditional one, suggesting that it needs to promote sustainability in the production process, especially via the utilization rates of renewable resources and wastes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GIAHS and Community-Based Conservation in National Parks)

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15 pages, 7013 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tourist Perspectives on Agricultural Heritage Interpretation—A Case Study of the Qingtian Rice-Fish System

by Mingming Su, Menghan Wang, Yehong Sun and Ying Wang

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10206; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141610206 - 17 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1418

Abstract

The interpretation of an agricultural heritage system significantly affects the communication and connection between tourists and heritage sites. Taking the rice-fish system at Qingtian as an example, this study applies field investigations, a tourist questionnaire survey, and face-to-face in-depth interviews to explore agricultural heritage interpretation through the gaze of tourists. A two-dimensional framework integrating interpretation contents and forms for agricultural heritage systems is developed and adopted to guide the analysis. Research results show that tourists’ overall recognition of agricultural heritage features of the Qingtian rice-fish system is not high. Regarding interpretation contents, the rice-fish agricultural landscape, traditional cuisine, and biodiversity exhibit higher awareness. Compared to the static and interactive interpretations, participatory interpretations demonstrated high effectiveness in enhancing visitors’ understanding of agricultural heritage systems, thus raising tourist awareness for heritage conservation. Considering the high potential and the current low level of heritage interpretation, theoretical and managerial implications are then discussed to enhance agricultural heritage interpretations in both content and form to support the conservation and sustainable development of such dynamic agricultural heritage systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GIAHS and Community-Based Conservation in National Parks)

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23 pages, 8368 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biodiversity Conservation of National Parks and Nature-Protected Areas in West Africa: The Case of Kainji National Park, Nigeria

by Xiaolan Tang and John Adekunle Adesina

Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7322; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14127322 - 15 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5384

Abstract

Due to rising global warming and climate change, biodiversity protection has become a critical ecological concern. Rich biodiversity zones are under threat and are deteriorating, necessitating national, regional, and provincial efforts to safeguard these natural areas. The effective conservation of national parks and nature-protected areas help to improve biodiversity conservation, forest, and urban air quality. The continuous encroachment and abuse of these protected areas have degraded the ecosystem over time. While exploring the geophysical ecology and biodiversity conservation of these areas in West Africa, Kainji National Park was selected for this study because of its notable location, naturalness, rich habitat diversity, topographic uniqueness, and landmass. The conservation of national parks and nature-protected areas is a cornerstone of biodiversity conservation globally. This study is aimed at the target United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 13, 2030—Climate Action targeted at taking urgent action towards combating climate change and its impacts. The study captures both flora and fauna that are dominant in the study area. The 15 identified tree species were selected from over 30 species with 563,500,000 (an average of 3,700,000 in each sample frame) trees for every tree species/type with a total of 63% tree green canopy cover. The study areas divided into three zones were randomly sampled within a stratum of 25 × 25 km frames divided into 150 sample frames for proper analyses using the i-Tree Eco v6.0.25. It is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service peer-reviewed application (software) designed which includes tools for urban and rural forestry study and benefits evaluations. The following microclimatic data were captured and analyzed photosynthetically active radiation, rain/precipitation, temperature, transpiration, evaporation, water intercepted by trees, runoff avoided by trees, potential evaporation by trees, and isoprene and monoterpene by trees. This study also further discusses the tree benefits of a green, low carbon, and sustainable environment within the context of biodiversity conservation, considering carbon storage, carbon sequestration, hydrology effects, pollution removal, oxygen production, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). There is a quick need for remotely-sensed information about the national parks, protected areas and nature reserves at regular intervals, and government policies must be strict against illegal poaching, logging activities, and other hazardous human impacts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GIAHS and Community-Based Conservation in National Parks)

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12 pages, 2191 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Ecological Compensation of National Parks Based on Tourism Concession Mechanism

by Didi Rao, Jiaran Wang, Moucheng Liu, Nan Ma, Zhidong Li and Yunxiao Bai

Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6463; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14116463 - 25 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1612

Abstract

The Chinese government has already proposed to build a nature protected area system composed mainly of national parks and encourages the development of concession operations in national parks. The establishment of a long-term ecological compensation mechanism under the concession mode is of great significance to promoting the harmonious development of man and nature in national parks. This paper selects the Pilot Programs for Shennongjia National Park System (PPSNPS) as the research area and constructs a long-term ecological compensation mechanism under the concession model of tourism back-feeding communities in PPSNPS. Through the questionnaire survey (516 valid questionnaires in 2018), based on the Travel Cost Interval Analysis (TCIA) and Contingent Valuation Method (CVM), the landscape value of the study area is monetized. Combined with the investment cost of concession enterprises, we construct the quantitative distribution ratio of the ecological compensation standard and get the amount of ecological compensation. On this basis, a long-term ecological compensation scheme is constructed. This specific scheme content is as below: on the one hand, Shennongjia National Park Administration (SNPA) is the beneficiary of ecological compensation, and the Shennong Tourism Investment Group Co, Ltd. (STIC) is the provider of ecological compensation; on the other hand, the travel tickets income is the only source of ecological compensation funds (back-feeding funds). Specifically, the landscape value of PPSNPS in 2018 was 604,230.3 × 10⁴ yuan, the input cost of STIC was 140,696 × 10⁴ yuan, the income after deducting tax from tourism tickets was 15,200 × 10⁴ yuan, and the distribution ratio of back-feeding funds is 1:4.29 with the back-feeding funds provided to SNPA from STIC of 12,326.65 × 10⁴ yuan. Through this paper, we know that landscape value monetization can provide ideas for quantitative accounting of the ecological compensation standard for national park tourism concession. In the future, this subject needs more theoretical and practical research on multiple long-term ecological compensation mechanisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GIAHS and Community-Based Conservation in National Parks)

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21 pages, 3683 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impacts of Establishing Pilot National Parks on Local Residents’ Livelihoods and Their Coping Strategies in China: A Case Study of Qilianshan National Park

by Jian Peng, Honglin Xiao, Rui Wang and Yuanyuan Qi

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3537; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14063537 - 17 Mar 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2663

Abstract

National Parks are a category of protected areas that emphasizes the sustainable use of park resources. China is a latecomer regarding the establishment of a national park system. In 2013, the Chinese administrative authorities announced the establishment of its own national park system to better protect the country’s natural heritage and the integrity of its large ecosystems. Since 2015, ten pilot national parks have been designated to explore a pathway to implement the national park system better. Local communities are among the most critical stakeholders in establishing and managing a national park. Park management wouldn’t be successful without the local residents’ support and active involvement. Since national parks are positioned in China as protected areas with the highest priority to nature protection, their impacts on the local people, either inhabiting the park or living nearby, are unprecedented in the country. The park–people relationship is not a new topic in national park research; however, in the context of China’s social, economic, and political framework, very little is known about the livelihood impacts of establishing a national park on the local residents and what strategies those residents should adapt to cope. In this study, the authors attempt to reveal the livelihood impacts of the national park creation in China on the local residents and their adaptation approaches by taking northwestern China’s Qilianshan National Park (QNP) as a case. The study results indicate that the establishment of QNP and its policies have significantly impacted the livelihoods of the local residents. The more they rely on the park resources, the greater the magnitude of the effect has been, whether they reside inside or outside the park. Overall, the negative livelihood impacts exceed the positive ones at present. Still, most of the local residents wish to sustain their current livelihoods if the park’s impacts can be made more manageable for them. Rarely do the local residents try to find alternative livelihoods unless they absolutely cannot overcome the negative impacts caused by the park’s policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GIAHS and Community-Based Conservation in National Parks)

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23 pages, 4532 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Importance of Spiritual Ecology in the Qingyuan Forest Mushroom Co-Cultivation System

by Guannan Zhu, Xingsui Cao, Bin Wang, Kai Zhang and Qingwen Min

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 865; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14020865 - 13 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2168

Abstract

The ecological value encapsulated in the term “spiritual ecology” is drawing more and more attention from ethnology, folklore, ecology, and other related disciplines. The custom of respecting and pacifying forest spirits has distinct regional and ethnic characteristics, and many scholars have discovered samples from different studies around the world. Qingyuan County, located in the mountainous region of southwest Zhejiang, is a very typical case of the practice of respecting and pacifying forest spirits. The mushroom-cultivation technology invented by the chthonic people there more than 900 years ago made this the global birthplace of artificial mushroom cultivation. The Qingyuan Forest–Mushroom Co-cultivation System (QFMCS) has been listed as an important agricultural heritage system by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China and a candidate project by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy for Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). Additionally, the QFMCS is currently an important part of the Baishanzu National Park under construction. The authors made an in-depth field study in the mountainous areas of Qingyuan and used theoretical methods of ecology, anthropology, and folklore to reveal the function spiritual ecology plays in ecological conservation, forest protection, identity, and the maintenance of community interests. In the “traditional-modern” transformation of Qingyuan County, the practice of respecting and pacifying the Spirits is still being propagated, resulting in expansion and social cohesion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GIAHS and Community-Based Conservation in National Parks)

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Review

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16 pages, 631 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review of the Progress in Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Monitoring

by Wenjun Jiao, Xiao Yang and Qingwen Min

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 9958; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14169958 - 11 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1815

Abstract

In order to protect traditional agricultural systems of global importance, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched an initiative for the conservation of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) in 2002. After nearly two decades of development, the number of GIAHS has increased from the initial 5 in 2005 to the current 65 in 22 countries around the world. Despite the remarkable increase in the number of GIAHS, many countries are now facing the difficult task of dynamic conservation and adaptive management of GIAHS. As an important element of heritage management, monitoring plays an important role in improving the level of heritage management. Scientific and effective monitoring can not only achieve the conservation of the heritage itself and the maintenance of its value, but also the sustainable development of the heritage site. However, FAO did not put forward mandatory requirements for GIAHS monitoring, nor did it issue any guiding document on GIAHS monitoring, but left it to various countries to explore their own GIAHS monitoring. In this context, the paper systematically sorts out the theoretical research and practical exploration of GIAHS monitoring conducted by different countries and research institutions, comparing and analyzing the differences between the theoretical design of monitoring GIAHS themselves and that of GIAHS action plan monitoring, as well as the differences in practical exploration of GIAHS monitoring among China, South Korea, Japan and Portugal. This paper argues that countries and research institutions face common problems in the research and application of GIAHS monitoring, which are: (1) low enthusiasm of heritage sites about participation; (2) lack of legal and financial support; and (3) lack of technical support and guidance. To further promote GIAHS monitoring globally and better promote dynamic conservation and adaptive management of GIAHS, this paper proposes that FAO should cooperate with various countries to establish a unified, scientific and efficient GIAHS monitoring system, including: (1) clarifying monitoring requirements and formulating monitoring guidelines; (2) improving the management system and establishing incentive mechanisms; (3) promoting multi-stakeholder participation and strengthening technical training. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GIAHS and Community-Based Conservation in National Parks)

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