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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Optimizing Zoning of National Nature Reserves
through the MOLA Model: The Case
of Shengjin Lake, China
1
School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China
2
China Railway Urban Planning and Design Institute Co., Ltd., Wuhu 241002, China
3
Forestry and Grassland Survey and Planning Institute of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA),
Beijing 100013, China
4
Neweco Design Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200433, China
Submission date: 2025-10-15
Final revision date: 2025-11-04
Acceptance date: 2025-12-05
Online publication date: 2026-07-13
Corresponding author
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Scientific zoning is essential for promoting the sustainable development of protected areas.
Taking the Shengjin Lake National Nature Reserve as a case study, this research develops a sub-zoning
framework aimed at mitigating conflicts of interest among different stakeholders within the reserve.
We first identified core stakeholder groups and the ecosystem services they prioritize, then
quantitatively assessed and spatially mapped the values of these services. Using these data, we employed
a Multi-Objective Land Allocation (MOLA) model to generate a “functional zones-control zones”
sub-zoning scheme. The results indicated that the functional zones were divided into three zones.
The strict protection zone covers 228.34 km², mainly in the main body of Shengjin Lake. The nature
education and ecological experience zone covers 22.83 km², mainly in the western part of Shengjin Lake.
The production and living zone covers 82.23 km², mainly in the northern farmland areas. The control
zones were divided into two zones. The core protection zone covers 228.34 km², mainly in the main lake
body of Shengjin Lake. The general control zone covers 105.06 km², mainly in the northern farmland
areas and the western part of Shengjin Lake. This integrated approach, which combines stakeholder
analysis with ecosystem service valuation, provides a robust and replicable model for resolving
land-use conflicts in protected area management.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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