Biodiversity arks in the Anthropocene

Honghu MENG; Xiaoyang GAO; Yigang SAONG; Guanlong CAO; Jie LI

doi:10.1016/j.regsus.2021.03.001

Regional Sustainability >

2021 , Vol. 2 >Issue 2: 109 - 115

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsus.2021.03.001

Short Communication

Biodiversity arks in the Anthropocene

Honghu MENG ,
Xiaoyang GAO ,
Yigang SAONG ,
Guanlong CAO ,
Jie LI

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^aPlant Phylogenetics and Conservation Group, Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
^bSoutheast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nay Pyi Taw, 05282, Myanmar
^cCAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resources and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, 666303, China
^dEastern China Conservation Centre for Wild Endangered Plant Resources, Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, Shanghai, 201602, China
^eUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

Received date: 2020-12-21

Revised date: 2021-01-28

Accepted date: 2021-03-25

Online published: 2021-08-13

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Abstract

The Anthropocene proposal suggested that the Earth may have entered a new geological epoch, in which human activity and climate change are influencing the environment at global scale. Arrival of the Anthropocene is bringing an unprecedented challenge to the biodiversity that is essential to humans, and enhancing many benefits of nature to human being. However, biodiversity loss is aggravating in the rhythm of inevitable change in the Anthropocene, and the adaptation of biodiversity to the anthropogenic disturbance seems unable to keep pace with the human activity and climate change. Therefore, re-examination of the assumptions and practices upon the current conservation endeavor are needed. We suggested that biodiversity conservation should be paid more attention to the response from biodiversity to the human activity and climate change in the Anthropocene. Thus, the concept of biodiversity arks in the Anthropocene is proposed, that is, biodiversity arks in the Anthropocene are the areas where vulnerable biodiversity is sheltered to alleviate human activity and buffered from climate change under the anthropogenic disturbance. The concept should be implemented for biodiversity conservation to fill gaps between our knowledge and build on successful conservation and sustainability in the Anthropocene. It will be certainly important to conservation policy instruction and management under climate change, especially the implementation of climate buffering zones preserving biodiversity in the face of warming climate.

Key words： Anthropogenic disturbance; Biodiversity arks; Biodiversity conservation; Climate change; Human activity; Sustainability

Cite this article

Honghu MENG , Xiaoyang GAO , Yigang SAONG , Guanlong CAO , Jie LI . Biodiversity arks in the Anthropocene[J]. Regional Sustainability, 2021 , 2(2) : 109 -115 . DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2021.03.001

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