Quantitative Evaluation of the Integrity of Natural Ecosystems and Anthropogenic Impacts in Shennongjia National Park, China

Abstract

China launched its pilot national park system in 2015, and Shennongjia National Park has attracted much attention as one of the first batch of pilot national parks. The primary goal of national park construction in China is to effectively protect the integrity and authenticity of nationally important natural ecosystems. Based on the theory of landscape ecology, this study interpreted data from high-resolution remote sensing images and used landscape pattern analysis, spatial correlation analysis, and geographic weighted regression analysis to quantitatively evaluate the integrity of natural ecosystems at the landscape scale. A more accurate and operable calculation method was proposed to analyze the spatial variation in natural ecosystem integrity and to explore the scope and intensity of the impact of different anthropogenic activities on natural ecosystem integrity. The results showed that: (1) from the perspective of the spatial distribution patterns of natural ecosystem integrity, the degree of natural ecosystem integrity of Shennongjia National Park was generally high, with an integrity index value of 96.06, and the proportion of high-integrity areas accounted for 72.38%. The integrity index value of the strict protection zone was 98.83, and the proportion of the low-integrity index area only accounted for 0.01% of the strict protection zone, which was mainly distributed in the main urban areas of the nearby townships and along the highways in the national park, as well as in other areas with intensive anthropogenic activities. (2) From the perspective of the degree of impact of anthropogenic activities on natural ecosystem integrity, population density (0.3344), traffic accessibility (0.2389), traditional utilization activities (0.1101), and industrial and mining activities (0.0095) were, in descending order, the most impactful, and there was no significant correlation between ecotourism activities and natural ecosystem integrity. (3) From the perspective of the impact range of anthropogenic activities on natural ecosystem integrity, traditional utilization activities had the largest impact, accounting for 19.71% of the total area of the national park. The area affected by population density accounted for 1.52%. Industrial and mining activities had an influence of 4.75%, and the area affected by traffic accessibility accounted for 9.28%. Through conducting quantitative research into the integrity of natural ecosystems in Shennongjia National Park, this study provides a new research paradigm for the conservation of natural ecosystems and for the sustainable development of resources in protected areas, which is of great significance for the sensible development of national park conservation and management.