Sustainable management and protection of ecosystems in Shangri-La County, Yunnan Province, China: Introduction

Abstract

Ecosystems provide both goods and services that are necessary components of humans’ daily life and socio-economic development. Associated with rapid urbanization processes and tourism development in Shangri-La County over recent years, human activities have put a huge pressure on ecosystem conservation and management. In this special issue, we use the case of Shangri-La County to trace the evolution processes of various ecosystems, understand the relationship between natural resources utilization and environmental protection and pursue the goal of the sustainability of ecological services. The articles published in this special issue support a general conclusion that urban development and human activities are key factors that threaten ecosystem conservation and sustainable development in Shangri-La County. Relevant policies and measures concerning ecosystem conservation and ecotourism management are discussed in this special issue.

Keywords:

• conservation
• sustainable use
• natural resources
• Shangri-La
• introduction

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Science and Technology Support Program (2011BAC09B04-03 and 2013BAJ04B01) and the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (2013J05061).