Potential priority areas and protection network for Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) in Southwest China

doi:10.1007/s11442-019-1654-6

Abstract

Abstract:

In Southwest China, five Nature Reserves (NRs) (Mangkang, Baimaxueshan, Yunling, Habaxueshan, and Yunlongtianchi) play a key role in protecting the endemic and endangered Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (YSM) (Rhinopithecus bieti). However, increasing human activities threaten its habitats and corridors. We used a GIS-based Niche Model to delineate potential core habitats (PCHs) of the YSMs and a Linkage Mapper corridor simulation tool to restore potential connectivity corridors (PCCs), and defined five scenarios. A normalized importance value index (NIVI) was established to identify the protection priority areas (PPAs) for the YSMs for five scenarios. The results indicated that locations of the habitats and corridors were different in the five scenarios, thereby influencing the distribution of the PPAs and protection network of the YSMs. The NIVI value of Baimaxueshan nature reserve was 1 in the five scenarios, which implied the maximum importance. There were only 7 PCHs and 16 PCCs (with the longest average length of 223.13 km) which were mainly located around 5 NRs in scenario III. The protection network of the YSMs was composed of 16 PCHs, 18 PCCs, and 5 NRs. Under each scenario, most of the PCHs and the PCCs were located in the south of the study area. The five NRs only covered 2 PPAs of the YSMs. We suggest that the southern part of the study area needs to be strictly protected and human activities should be limited. The area of the five NRs should be expanded to maximize protection of the YSMs in the future.

Key words: Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (YSM), potential core habitat (PCH), potential connectivity corridor (PCC), protection priority area (PPA), nature reserve (NR)

Xukun SU, Wangya HAN, Guohua LIU. Potential priority areas and protection network for Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) in Southwest China[J].Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2019, 29(7): 1211-1227.

Figures/Tables 9

Figure 1

Figure 2

Table 1

Weights of each variable"

Vegetation types
Name		Value		Name		Value
Tsuga chinensis pritz and Betula alnoides		100		Cotinus nana		50
Tsuga dumosa (D. Don) Eichler		100		Sophora davidii		50
Betula platyphylla Suk		75		Imperata cylindrica		50
Abies delavayi Franch		75		Bothriochloa ischaemum (L.) Keng		50
Betula albo-sinensis Burk. var. septentrionalis Schneid		75		Rhododendron telmateium		50
Platycladus orientalis		75		Arundinella setosa, Arundinella anomala		50
Quercus aquifolioides		75		Rhododendron flavidum Franch		50
bies forrestii		75		Salix cupularis		50
Picea balfouriana		75		Themeda triandra Forsk. Var. Japonica (Willd. )Makino and Miscanthus		50
Neosino calamus affinis		75		Caragana jubata (Pall.) Poir.		50
Larix potaninii var. macrocarpa		75		Rosa sericea Lindl.		50
Sabina tibetica Kom		75		Rhododendron heliolepis Franch.		50
Lithocarpus variolosus (Fr.) Chun		75		Rhododendron delavayi Franch.		50
Castanopsis delavayi Franch		75		Rhododendron fastigiatum Franch.		50
Pinus densata		75		Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb.		50
Quercus pseudosemecarpifolia A. Camus		75		Heteropogon contortus		50
Betula albo-sinensis Burk		75		Malus baccata (L.) Borkh, Prunus padus L.		50
Pinus armandii Franch		75		Rhododendron adenogynum Diels		50
Quercus pannosa Hand.-Mazz.		75		Sabina pingiivar.wilsonii and Sabina squamata		50
Fargesia spathacea Franch		75		Potentilla parvifolia		50
Picea likiangensis		75		Rhododendron nivaleHook. f.		50
Abies squamata Mast		75		Rhododendron racemosum Franch		50
Pinus massoniana Lamb		75		Salix sclerophylla Anderss		50
Quercus guyavaefolia Levl		75		Phyllanthus emblica L.		50
Abies faxoniana Rehd		75		Rhododendron morii Hayata		50
Pobulus davidiana		75		Sibiraea angustata (Rehd.) Hand.-Mazz.		50
Quercus variabilis Bl		75		Kobresia littledalei C. B. Clarke		25
Larix chinensis		75		Carex liparocarpos Gaudin		25
Abies spectabilis (D. Don) Spach		75		Anaphalis flavescens Hand.-Mazz.		25
Castanopsisindica (Roxb.) Miq, Castanopsis clarkei		75		Sanguisorba officinalisL. and Artemisia tanacetifolia Linn.		25
Piceabrachytylavar.omplanata		75		B. sylvaticum (Huds) Beauv		25
Castanopsis concolor Rehd. et Wils.		75		Blysmus sinocompressus Tang et Wang		25
Pinus yunnanensis		75		Cyperaceae		25
Picea asperata Mast.		75		Kobresia humilis and Polygonum macrophyllum D. Don		25
Abies georgei Orr		75		Festuca ovina L. and Deyeuxia arundinacea		25
Pinus palustris Mill.		75		Polygonum macrophyllum D. Don and Polygonum viviparum L		25
Picea purpurea Mast		75		Poa annua L.		25
Quercus monimotricha		50		Non-vegetation		0
Land cover
Name		Value		Name		Value
Forest		100		Wetland		0
Shrub		75		Lake		0
Meadow		25		River		0
Steppe		25		Farmland		0
Vegetation types
Forest wetland	50		Settlement		0
Sparse bushes	50		Road		0
Shrub wetland	0
Aspect
Class	Value		Class		Value
0	0		136°-225°		100
1-45°	25		226°-270°		75
46°-90°	50		271°-315°		50
91°-135°	75
Slope
Class	Value		Class		Value
0°	0		20°-40°		100
0°-90°	25		Above 40°		25
15°-20°	50
Water
Distance	Value		Distance		Value
Water source	0		3.5 km away from water source		50
1 km away from water source	100		More than 3.5 km away from water source		25
Elevation
Class	Value		Class		Value
764-2600 m, 4501-4700 m	25		2801-3600 m		100
2601-2700 m, 4301-4500 m	50		Above 4701 m		0
2701-2800 m, 3601-4300 m	75
Settlement
Class	Value		Class		Value
1 km away from settlement	0		More than 3 km away from settlement		100
3 km away from settlement	50		More than 3 km away from settlement		100
Road
Distance	Value		Distance		Value
50 m away from road	0		More than 100 m away from road		100
100 m away from road	50		More than 100 m away from road		100

Table 1

Figure 3

Table 2

Table 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

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	Total number	Total area (km²)	Average area (km²)
Scenario I	5	5679	1135.80
Scenario II	16	2121	132.56
Scenario III	7	635	90.71
Scenario IV	40	2396	59.90
Scenario V	63	5152	81.78

	Total number	Total distance (km)	Average length (km)
Scenario I	5	391.68	78.34
Scenario II	31	4329.05	139.65
Scenario III	16	3570.07	223.13
Scenario IV	122	12126.41	99.40
Scenario V	182	11842.43	65.07