Evaluation Of The Community Management Effectiveness Of Nature Reserves In China

Community management is a vital element of nature reserve management, and the evaluation of community management effectiveness is an important of the nature reserve management effectiveness evaluation. By the help of State Forestry Administration and the provincial forestry sectors, we conducted the nationwide surveys and assessments on community demographics and community management effectiveness in nature reserves in China in2009by questionnaires. Combining with the literatures and data on social and economic development, we analyzed the impact factors of the community management effectiveness, and then we recommended some relevant suggestions in policies to improve the community management. In particular, we hope to provide some references on community management of our nature reserves.We obtained the data of population distribution in1033nature reserves and received1394questionnaires on community management effectiveness in nature reserves in China. Our survey suggested that the nature reserves surveyed held a large number of community population, and the population density in nature reserves showed a decrease trend from the east to the west in China. In particular, the population density differed significantly among these provinces, and the levels of the nature reserves correlated negatively with the population in the corresponding nature reserves. According to the survey on the effectiveness of community management of nature reserves, the community management of our nature reserves occupied a higher position with an average score of8.07+0.07. The community management of the nature reserves in the provinces of the Eastern China occupied the highest position, whereas the nature reserves in Central China situated at the lowest location. The score of the community management effectiveness declined from the national nature reserves to provincial nature reserves, and then followed by the other level of nature reserves. The higher the community population density, the lower the score of community relations and its participation.Combined the survey on the community in the nature reserves with the data of the economic development, we found that the score of community co-management in national reserves is positively correlated with the consumption level of rural residents per capita and the household net income in the corresponding provinces, while the score of community relations of the provincial reserves is positively correlated with the consumption level of rural residents.In consequence, it was reasonable to recommend some suggestions to promote the level of the community management effectiveness in China, including respecting the rights of the community, clearing the management goals of the nature reserve, implementation of community participation and co-management, promoting the communication and demonstration among nature reserves in the different areas or with different levels, attaching great importance to poverty alleviation by the local government, and improving the mechanism of ecological compensation in relation to nature reserves.