Pushing the Limits: The Pattern and Dynamics of Rubber Monoculture Expansion in Xishuangbanna, SW China.
Pushing the Limits: The Pattern and Dynamics of Rubber Monoculture Expansion in Xishuangbanna, SW China.
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0150062
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发表时间：
2016
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Xu J
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Chen H;Yi ZF;Schmidt-Vogt D;Ahrends A;Beckschäfer P;Kleinn C;Ranjitkar S;Xu J
中国汽车工业的快速发展带动了东南亚许多地区单一种植橡胶的快速扩张。西双版纳是中国第二大橡胶种植区，地处印缅生物多样性热点地区，供应国内天然橡胶产量约37%。在那里，橡胶带来的高收入可能推动单一种植园的急剧扩张，这对天然林构成了威胁。我们首次绘制了 1988 年、2002 年（Landsat，30 m 分辨率）和 2010 年（RapidEye，5 m 分辨率）保护区内外的橡胶种植园及其净现值。我们研究的目的是更好地了解西双版纳橡胶种植园扩张的模式和动态，以及其经济前景和保护影响。我们发现：1）1988年橡胶种植面积占西双版纳总面积的4.5%，2002年为9.9%，2010年为22.2%； 2) 1988 年至 2010 年间，橡胶单一种植扩展到更高的海拔和更陡的山坡； 3）中等经济潜力的橡胶园比例从1988年至2002年的57%下降到2010年的47%，而较低经济潜力的橡胶园比例则从30%上升到40%； 4）到2010年，西双版纳自然保护区总面积的近10%已转变为橡胶单一种植。根据我们的研究结果，我们得出的结论是，橡胶种植园迅速扩展到海拔更高、地形更陡和自然保护区（西双版纳大部分剩余森林所在地），对生物多样性和环境服务构成了严重威胁，同时没有产生预期的经济回报。因此，地方政府有必要制定长期的土地利用战略，平衡经济效益与环境可持续性，并帮助农民选择适合橡胶生产的土地。
The rapidly growing car industry in China has led to an equally rapid expansion of monoculture rubber in many regions of South East Asia. Xishuangbanna, the second largest rubber planting area in China, located in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, supplies about 37% of the domestic natural rubber production. There, high income possibilities from rubber drive a dramatic expansion of monoculture plantations which poses a threat to natural forests. For the first time we mapped rubber plantations in and outside protected areas and their net present value for the years 1988, 2002 (Landsat, 30 m resolution) and 2010 (RapidEye, 5 m resolution). The purpose of our study was to better understand the pattern and dynamics of the expansion of rubber plantations in Xishuangbanna, as well as its economic prospects and conservation impacts. We found that 1) the area of rubber plantations was 4.5% of the total area of Xishuangbanna in 1988, 9.9% in 2002, and 22.2% in 2010; 2) rubber monoculture expanded to higher elevations and onto steeper slopes between 1988 and 2010; 3) the proportion of rubber plantations with medium economic potential dropped from 57% between 1988 and 2002 to 47% in 2010, while the proportion of plantations with lower economic potential had increased from 30% to 40%; and 4) nearly 10% of the total area of nature reserves within Xishuangbanna has been converted to rubber monoculture by 2010. On the basis of our findings, we conclude that the rapid expansion of rubber plantations into higher elevations, steeper terrain, and into nature reserves (where most of the remaining forests of Xishuangbanna are located) poses a serious threat to biodiversity and environmental services while not producing the expected economic returns. Therefore, it is essential that local governments develop long-term land use strategies for balancing economic benefits with environmental sustainability, as well as for assisting farmers with the selection of land suitable for rubber production.