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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Philip McGowanORCiD
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© 2025The world faces unprecedented species declines. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) adopted in 2022 outlines long-term goals to reduce extinction risk by 2050 and sets interim targets for 2030 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. China, hosting a large number of species on its national Red List (1,050 vertebrate species) and the global threatened species on IUCN Red List (1,822), is critical to achieving KMGBF Goal A. To effectively reduce extinction risk for China's species, prioritizing key landscapes and conservation gaps in existing protected areas (PAs) is critical for species diversity and ecosystem integrity under climate change, while safeguarding functional and phylogenetic diversity essential for ecosystem stability and evolutionary history. Focusing on Galliformes — a culturally and ecologically significant group — we assessed conservation priorities for 23 threatened and endemic species. We analyzed taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity across 50 km × 50 km grids, identified key landscapes, and evaluated PAs coverage under current and future climate change by their overlap with National Nature Reserves (NNRs). Our findings reveal that only ∼6 % of areas hosting threatened and endemic Galliformes diversity are currently covered by NNRs, with the most biodiverse regions receiving coverages of 5.82 %, 6.11 %, and 3.63 % for different diversity indexes. Climate change projections indicate a potential range shift towards higher elevations for these species. Key landscapes are concentrated in southeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Qinling, Wuling, Nanling-Wuyi mountain ranges, Taiwan, and Hainan. Alarmingly, less than 10 % of current and future priority landscapes are protected, highlighting substantial opportunities for PA network expansion in China. Integrating functional and phylogenetic diversity with taxonomic diversity is essential to safeguard ecosystem resilience and evolutionary history. This study provides critical insights for broader conservation strategies, which will contribute to global efforts to achieve the goals and targets of the KMGBF.
Author(s): Yao H, McGowan PJK, Wang N, Wang P, Liu Y, Xu J, Zhang Z
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Basic and Applied Ecology
Year: 2026
Volume: 90
Pages: 130-139
Print publication date: 01/02/2026
Online publication date: 11/12/2025
Acceptance date: 10/12/2025
ISSN (print): 1439-1791
ISSN (electronic): 1618-0089
Publisher: Elsevier GmbH
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2025.12.006
DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2025.12.006
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