Identifying and rebuilding a spatial network of wildlands to promote rewilding on the Qinghai‒Tibet Plateau

Abstract

Rewilding is an emerging strategy for biodiversity conservation. The 3Cs framework for rewilding involves three key components—core areas, corridors, and carnivores—of which the first two are related to space and land. By focusing on the Qinghai‒Tibet Plateau, we identified core areas and corridors, constructing a spatial network of wildlands on the basis of suitability assessment and ecological process simulation. The network accuracy was verified with biodiversity data, and policy suggestions were proposed according to land use analysis and related adjustment costs. The results show that wilderness suitability decreases from southeast to northwest. Large core areas are in the southeast, whereas corridors traverse the northwest, connecting relatively small, scattered, and wide core areas. Although the spatial network covers 25.69 % of the total area, 56.4 % of the carnivore records and 69.88 % of the mammal records are in this area. Most land types within the network are forests and grasslands; however, certain artificial surfaces and crop lands must be adjusted to enhance connectivity. Considering the adjustment costs, nonecological lands within corridors should be prioritized for transformation. We suggest a strategy that considers the quantity, scale, and distribution of the core areas, in addition to the adjustment of nonecological lands, to improve the ability of the spatial network to effectively conserve biodiversity.