Significance and Key Issues of Protected Area Connectivity in China

Protected areas are essential for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation, and the effective functioning thereof depends on the establishment of a well-connected protected area network. This research expounds on the importance of protected area connectivity in contexts of habitat fragmentation and climate change crisis. After differentiating and analyzing concepts and sorting out research and practice related to protected area connectivity, the research proposes the concept of protected area connectivity in China from the four aspects of the conceptual level, ecological object, space scope and time scope. It discusses six critical issues of protected area connectivity in China, including the relationship between protected area connectivity and territorial spatial planning, relationship between protected area connectivity and climate change, and the evaluation system, monitoring system, improvement path and guarantee mechanism for protected area connectivity.