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Establishing nature reserves is one of the most effective means for protecting endangered species and biodiversity. However, establishing nature reserves may stop gene-exchange of the target population from natural populations given that the previous human activities within the reserves were moved to the surrounding areas of the nature reserves. This may break the connection between nature reserve and natural habitats. In this study, a habitat suitability evaluation of Wolong Nature Reserve for giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) conservation indicates that among the total area of 202300 ha, only about 2144 ha, or 1.06%, is highly suitable, and as much as 123280 ha (more than 60% of the total area) was unsuitable for giant panda. Moreover, the highly suitable, suitable areas, and moderately suitable areas were spatially fragmented. Based on the evaluation, landscape design for giant panda conservation was performed. It was suggested that both habitat quality and patch size be considered to meet the requirements for sustaining populations when core patches in a nature reserve were designed. Buffer with right width should include all core patches to allow giant panda to move freely. On the subject of corridor design, two cases were to be identified, first, the existing corridor, which was a narrow passage between some patches, had to be protected carefully. Second, those areas, which may become the potential habitats for giant pandas after rational vegetation rehabilitation, should be identified by using GAP approaches. This study indicates that some key areas which may enable the core patches larger to accommodate more giant pandas by vegetation rehabilitation, were much more important than the other places. These areas should receive higher attentions when establishing nature reserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consequences of the growing world population imply an increasing demand on housing, industry, roads, airports, recreation, land, water resource, etc. Their impacts on natural landscapes and ecosystems are often significant by changing landscape pattern. The current environmental effects due to human activity, such as global change, ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, and others, have already arisen the attention from scientists. The long-term and potential environmental effects, however, were difficult to be identified without enough scientific data across both spatial and temporal scales. A primary goal of landscape ecology is to understand the reciprocal relationship between spatial pattern and ecological flows or processes. Achieving this goal may require the extrapolation of results obtained from small-scale experiments to broad scales. Scientific monitoring data makes a solid and convincing base for studying the dynamics of landscape spatial pattern and ecological processes and the overall environmental effects of human activities. In this paper, the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) was introduced. It lays a foundation for landscape ecological research by offering long-term monitoring data. At the same time, how to effectively use the CERN to deepen landscape ecological researches was discussed in detail. Finally, perspectives for the development of landscape ecological researches in China were enumerated with special attention to ecological monitoring and the coupling of landscape pattern and ecological processes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]