Spatial Distribution, Hot Spots Identification and Protection Effectiveness Evaluation of Urgently Protected Species in Priority Area of Taihang Mountains Biodiversity Conservation(Beijing Region)

Biodiversity is rapidly losing due to human activities. In this context, allocating more resources to protect the hot spot areas, where the species in urgent need of conservation are clustered, is an effective way to increase the efficiency of biodiversity conservation. Took Beijing as the priority area for biodiversity conservation in Taihang Mountain for a case study, the spatial distribution, hot spots and gap areas of the target species to be protected were identified. The results show that the hotspots were mainly distributed in the areas adjacent to Hebei Province, including Baihuashan area and Donglingshan area in Mentougou District, Songshan area in Yanqing District, Labagoumen area in Huairou District and Wulingshan area in Miyun District. Meanwhile, except for Habenaria schindleri and Kalopanax septemlobus, the remaining 46 target species had been protected to varying degrees, but the conservation efficiency needs to be improved. In addition, about 339 km² of gap areas that were in urgent need of protection have not yet been designated as nature reserves. Different methods were proposed for the improvement of the protection efficiency, including the construction or expansion of nature reserves, small-reserves and ecological protection redlines. The results will be helpful to the optimization of the existing protection network system and the enhancement of the protection effect of nature reserves.