Evaluating conservation gaps of China's national key protected wild plants: insights from county-level distribution data.

Background: The National Key Protected Wild Plants (NKPWPs) list serves as China's primary legal framework for plant diversity protection, with the species categorized into Level I (critically endangered, strictly protected) and Level II (lower risk but still requiring protection). However, the geographical distribution of these species and gaps in their conservation remain elusive due to the limited availability of data on species distribution. Thus, to address these gaps and support precise conservation, we developed a county-level distribution database for the NKPWP species using information primarily sourced from literature. Using this database, we elucidated the geographical distribution patterns of NKPWPs and identified the gaps in both in situ and ex situ conservation.

Results: The NKPWPs analyzed in the study included 1,128 plant species. We compiled a county-level distribution database for these species with 30,397 records. Detailed analysis of this data revealed that these species were concentrated in the mountainous regions of southern China, including the Eastern Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains, south Yunnan, the Yunnan-Guizhou-Guangxi border, and the Wuling Mountains. Among the 1,118 embryophyte species of the checklist, 1,060 (94.81%) were found conserved in situ, 681 (60.91%) were found conserved ex situ, and 660 (59.03%) through both approaches. Besides, species with a higher threat level and limited distribution range exhibited lower conservation coverage in both ex situ and in situ approaches; 37 species received no conservation (3.31%).

Conclusions: The county-level distribution database developed in this study comprehensively depicts the geographical distribution patterns of NKPWP in China, offering valuable data for planning species conservation and providing a foundational framework for addressing the existing gaps in their conservation across China. This database will ultimately support targeted conservation and resource allocation to protect plant diversity effectively. We also suggest adopting an integrated evaluation approach for conservation strategies in other areas, globally, or for other biological groups.