Geographical distribution and conservation strategy of national key protected wild plants of China

National key protected wild plants (NKPWPs) are considered flagship species for plant diversity conservation in China. Using data for 1101 species, we character-ized NKPWPs distribution patterns in China and assessed conservation effective-ness and conservation gaps. In total, 4880 grid cells at a 20 3 20 km resolution were filled with occurrence records for NKPWPs. We identified 444 hotspot grid cells and 27 diversity hotspot regions, containing 92.37% of NKPWPs. How-ever, 43.24% of these hotspot grid cells were fully or partially covered by na-tional nature reserves (NNRs), where 70.21% of species were distributed. Approximately 61.49% of the NKPWPs species were protected by NNRs, but the populations or habitats of 963 species were partially or fully outside of NNRs. With global warming, the overall change in the extent of suitable habitats for NKPWPs is expected to be small, however, habitat quality in some areas with a high habitat suitability index will decrease.

Automated summary

National key protected wild plants (NKPWPs) are important for plant diversity conservation in China. Distribution patterns of NKPWPs were examined using data for 1101 species, revealing hotspot areas and conservation gaps. Although a significant percentage of NKPWPs are protected within national nature reserves, many species and their habitats remain outside of these protected areas.