Abstract:

Based on the data of higher plants in the 1458 nature reserves in China, the 36866 species of higher plants so far identified in China were sorted into 7 groups in terms of in-situ conservation, i.e., effectively protected, well protected, generally protected, scarcely protected, unknown, unprotected and not evaluated. Evaluation of the in-situ conservation of each group was conducted. Results show that 28385 species of higher plants in the nature reserves are in-situ protected to varying degrees, accounting for 81.25% of the total evaluated(exclusive of the species of higher plants distributed in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the same below),and 6552 species of higher plants are in the groups of unknown or unprotected, accounting for 18.75%. In addition, 1929 species of higher plants are distributed only in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan areas, accounting for 5.23% of the total species(36866 species) of the country. In-situ conservation of angiosperm, gymnosperm, fern and bryophyte is also evaluated. Based on the evaluation, strategies are brought forth aiming at better in-situ conservation of higher plant species in China.

Key words: nature reserve, higher plant, in-situ conservation, protection effectiveness, evaluation