Eco-Sensitive Areas

Overview & Synopsis

There are many eco-sensitive areas around the world, covering a sizeable portion of the world’s terrestrial surface. Examples include mountain regions and transitional zones. However, due to excessive human land use activities and climate change, these regions are currently facing numerous challenges that affect the structure, quality, and ability of these ecosystems to provide services and products. In response to these challenges, many policies have been implemented, including designating protected land areas and providing ecological compensation, to balance the relationship between ecological protection and socio-economic development. These interventions must be supported by the government at different levels to ensure that these ecosystems are able to sustainably provide their services. As a result, studies related to ecosystem services should play an essential role in managing and conserving eco-sensitive areas and protected lands. However, it is still unclear how studies on ecosystem services can support the conservation of biodiversity under the present conditions and in future scenarios.