Viable contribution of Tibetan sacred mountains in southwestern China to forest conservation
Viable contribution of Tibetan sacred mountains in southwestern China to forest conservation
复制标题
DOI：
10.1111/cobi.12587
复制
发表时间：
2015-12
影响因子：
6.3
通讯作者：
Xiaoli Shen;Sheng Li;Dajun Wang;Zhi Lu
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Xiaoli Shen;Sheng Li;Dajun Wang;Zhi Lu
西藏圣山（TSM）覆盖面积很大，可能是一个景观规模的保护机会。我们将这些山区森林的保护价值与中国西南部丹巴县政府建立的自然保护区和非管理开放区域的保护价值进行了比较。我们使用Landsat卫星图像绘制森林覆盖图，并估计1974-1989年，1989-1999年和1999-2013年的森林损失。其中，自然保护区（n = 4）占国土面积的29.7%，自然保护区（n = 4）占国土面积的21.6%。其余的土地是开放的区域（即，没有任何资源使用限制的地区）（56.2%）和农田（2.2%）。在适合森林生长的海拔范围内，自然保护区（58.8%）和开放式地区（58.4%）的森林覆盖率没有显著差异，但在控制了环境因素（如坡向，坡度和海拔）后，TSM（65.5%）的森林覆盖率显著较高。具有重要文化意义的TSM森林覆盖率较高，但寺院工作人员的巡逻不一定与森林覆盖率的增加有关。1989年至1999年期间，非圣地的年毁林率（111.4公顷/年）几乎是1974年至1989年期间（40.4公顷/年）的三倍，而TSM的年毁林率在后期有所下降（19.7公顷/年对17.2公顷/年）。1989-1999年的森林损失减少可能是由于自20世纪80年代末以来，当地佛教界对TSM崇拜的复兴和管理的加强。丹巴的年毁林率在1999-2013年急剧下降至4.4公顷/年，这与1998年实施的全国禁止伐木相吻合。作为西藏地区历史上唯一的保护区形式，TSM在景观尺度上为保护森林做出了积极贡献。TSM森林的保护主要依靠当地宗教机构的力量。将以社区为基础的TSM保护纳入政府保护网络将有利于西藏地区的保护。
The Tibetan sacred mountains (TSMs) cover a large area and may represent a landscape‐scale conservation opportunity. We compared the conservation value of forests in these mountains with the conservation value of government‐established nature reserves and unmanaged open‐access areas in Danba County, southwestern China. We used Landsat satellite images to map forest cover and to estimate forest loss in 1974–1989, 1989–1999, and 1999–2013. The TSMs (n = 41) and nature reserves (n = 4) accounted for 21.6% and 29.7% of the county's land area, respectively. Remaining land was open‐access areas (i.e., areas without any restrictions on resource use) (56.2%) and farmlands (2.2%). Within the elevation range suitable for forests, forest cover did not differ significantly between nature reserves (58.8%) and open‐access areas (58.4%), but was significantly higher in TSMs (65.5%) after controlling for environmental factors such as aspect, slope, and elevation. The TSMs of great cultural importance had higher forest cover, but patrols by monastery staff were not necessarily associated with increased forest cover. The annual deforestation rate in nonsacred areas almost tripled in 1989–1999 (111.4 ha/year) relative to 1974–1989 (40.4 ha/year), whereas the rate in TSMs decreased in the later period (19.7 ha/year vs. 17.2 ha/year). The reduced forest loss in TSMs in 1989–1999 was possibly due to the renaissance of TSM worship and strengthened management by the local Buddhist community since late 1980s. The annual deforestation rate in Danba decreased dramatically to 4.4 ha/year in 1999–2013, which coincided with the implementation of a national ban on logging in 1998. As the only form of protected area across the Tibetan region during much of its history, TSMs have positively contributed to conserving forest at a landscape scale. Conservation of TSM forests largely relied on the strength of local religious institutions. Integrating community‐based conservation of TSMs within the government conservation network would benefit the conservation of the Tibetan region.