Abstract:

Aims: The scientific and accurate assessment of the protection effectiveness of nature reserves is of great significance for reducing biodiversity loss. However, inadequate consideration of environmental differences inside and outside nature reserves and spillover/leakage effects will lead to biased assessment results. This paper aims to evaluate the protection effectiveness and spillover/leakage effects of the national nature reserve group of Funiu Mountain area in Henan Province and their influencing factors.
Method: In this study, three national nature reserves including Funiu Mountain National Nature Reserve (NNR), Baotianman NNR, and Nanyang Dinosaur Eggs Fossil Cluster NNR in Funiu Mountain area were selected. The propensity score matching model and average treatment effects were used to evaluate the effectiveness of protection and spillover/leakage effects of net primary production (NPP) and resisting human disturbance. The one-way analysis of variance was used to identify and discuss the influencing factors for these.
Results: (1) In terms of NPP, the protection effectiveness of Funiu Mountain NNR and Nanyang Dinosaur Eggs Fossil Cluster NNR was significant from 2000 to 2010, with leakage and spillover effects occurring, respectively. From 2011 to 2020, the protection effectiveness of Funiu Mountain NNR and Baotianman NNR was poor, and leakage effects occurred. (2) In terms of resisting human disturbance, the effectiveness of Funiu Mountain NNR from 2000 to 2010 was good. However, the effectiveness of the Nanyang Dinosaur Eggs Fossil Cluster NNR was poor. From 2011 to 2020, the three NNRs showed significant reduction in human disturbance, and spillover effects occurred. (3) When the NPP background value was low and the temperature and precipitation were high, the nature reserves had better NPP protection effectiveness and were prone to spillover effect; when the population density was low and the GDP level was high, the nature reserves had better effectiveness in resisting human disturbance and were prone to spillover effect, whereas the effectiveness was poor and prone to leakage effect.
Conclusion: The protection effectiveness and spillover/leakage effects differ among different natural reserves in different periods in the Funiu Mountain area, and natural and socio-economic factors significantly impact this. The propensity score matching model and spillover/leakage effects provide a new technical idea for the overall protection assessment of the nature reserves.

Key words: assessment of protection effectiveness, leakage effects, propensity score matching, vegetation protection, anthropogenic pressures, Funiu Mountain