The Spatial Coupling Characteristics Between the Construction of Qingzang National Park Cluster and the Sustainable Development of Local Communities

The development of Qingzang national park cluster is part of China’s efforts to establish a major ecological civilization project in the Qingzang Plateau, in line with global sustainable development goals. Based on preliminary scientific investigation and research in the Qingzang Plateau, the construction of the park cluster will include 21 national parks. To mitigate the conflict between conservation of the national park cluster and the development of local communities, this study proposes an analysis framework to identify the spatial coupling features between the national park cluster and sustainable development of communities. Four elements were selected to construct the analysis framework, including natural conditions, geographic location, cultural background, and national policies. This framework was applied to the 457 township communities within the 21 national parks. Results show the weak influence of the construction of the national park cluster for approximately 304 township communities, without significant spatial coupling traits, while the remaining 153 communities demonstrated significant spatial coupling features. These latter townships had developed four types of spatial coupling with national parks, including eco-migrants, transportation hubs, characteristic cultures, and border development, which account for 17.4%, 35.3%, 19.8%, and 27.5% of the 153 townships respectively. A composite type with more than one spatial coupling feature was also found for 14 communities within the 153 townships. This provides a reference for policy making towards four major types of interactive modes between townships and the national park construction for the sustainable development of Qingzang Plateau.