Bird and mammal conservation in Gaoligongshan Region and Jingdong County, Yunnan, China: patterns of species richness and nature reserves

Elevational and latitudinal patterns of species richness for birds and mamm als were compared with human population density in relation to nature reser ve designation in two areas of Yunnan Province, China. Results suggest that species richness is not the same for the two areas. In Gaoligongshan Regio n, species richness is inversely correlated with elevation and altitude, wh ile reserve designation is positively correlated with elevation and latitud e. In Jingdong County, reserve designations are positively correlated with elevation, but species richness shows no clear trends. In general, the pres ent situation is strongly influenced by human activities. It appears that r eserve designation is mismatched with species richness in Gaoligongshan Reg ion, while there is a better fit between the two in Jingdong County. In bot h areas, however, it appeared that reserves were located primarily in order to reduce conflict with humans rather than to maximize conservation of bio diversity, probably because humans were responsible for forest-especially p rimary forest-destruction and degradation in the low-lying areas.