Developing integrated protected area communities: Insights from Gaoligongshan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, China

Authors

Jianwei CHEN, School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaFollow
Ling TANG, Institutes of Science and Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; School of Public Policy and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, ChinaFollow
Ying’an ZHANG, Administration of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve at Nujiang, Nujiang 673100, China
Shihai YU, Administration of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve at Baoshan, Baoshan 678000, China
Hui YANG, Administration of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve at Nujiang, Nujiang 673100, China
Yuanmengran CHU, Administration of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve at Baoshan, Baoshan 678000, China

Keywords

protected area; integrated protected area communities (IPAC); Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB); regional governance; realization of the value; ecological products

Document Type

China's Practice in World Biosphere Reserves

Abstract

The integrated protected area community (IPAC) model is a Chinese innovation in protected area governance, emerging from the convergence of national policy support, local government implementation, and community participation. Rather than relying solely on administrative jurisdiction or geographic proximity, IPAC uses protected areas as institutional hubs to align ecological conservation with community development and regional collaboration. Based on the case of the Gaoligongshan UNESCO biosphere reserve, this study examines how policy coordination, stakeholder integration, and ecological value realization are operationalized under the IPAC approach, highlighting an integrated mechanism that combines state-led planning, multi-entity co-governance, and ecological product valorization. The Gaoligongshan case suggests that the IPAC model holds institutional potential for informing the development of national parks and protected areas in China. The model offers a scalable pathway toward more inclusive, adaptive, and sustainable conservation. Further refinement of its institutional design, market mechanisms, and community capacity is essential to advance human-nature coexistence.

First page

1614

Last Page

1622

Language

Chinese

Publisher

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences

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Recommended Citation

CHEN, Jianwei; TANG, Ling; ZHANG, Ying’an; YU, Shihai; YANG, Hui; and CHU, Yuanmengran (2024) "Developing integrated protected area communities: Insights from Gaoligongshan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, China," Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version): Vol. 40 : Iss. 9 , Article 17.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3724/j.issn.1000-3045.20250531001
Available at: https://bulletinofcas.researchcommons.org/journal/vol40/iss9/17