Abstract: The study of the spatial distribution and overlapping relationship of natural protected areas is an important basis for constructing the system of natural protected areas dominated by national parks. This study selected 582 natural protected areas of 9 types in Hunan Province as the research objects, aiming at putting forward the integration optimization countermeasures by using geographic concentration index and ArcGIS spatial analysis to analyze the spatial distribution and overlapping characteristics of protected areas in Hunan Province. The results show that the natural protected areas in Hunan Province are distributed in an aggregation manner, and the number of natural protected areas in Wuling-Xuefeng mountain area and Nanling mountain area accounts for 61.41% of the total number of protected areas in the province, which is a geographical ecological area with dense distribution of natural protected areas. The cities of Hunan Province, such as Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, Huaihua City, Shaoyang City, and Yongzhou City, are the administrative districts with a large number of natural protected areas in Hunan Province. The phenomenon of overlapping of natural protected areas is prominent and the number of overlapping protected areas accounts for 45.02% of the province's natural protected areas. Meanwhile, among the intersecting overlap types, the number of one overlap type is the most, accounting for 75.56% of intersecting and overlapping protected areas number. In terms of the types of overlapping protected areas, the overlapping between nature reserves and forest park, between nature reserves and scenic spots, between nature reserves and wetland park, and between scenic spots and forest park are the most common. On the basis of analysis of the spatial overlap relationship of natural protected areas in Hunan, this study put forward suggestions for optimization and integration of natural protected areas, including integration supplement and boundary adjustment.

Key words: Hunan Province, natural protected area, cross overlapping, optimization and integration