Synergetic evaluation of landscape conservation and development in karst gorge and cave scenic area, with a case in Jiuxiang gorge and cave scenic area, Yunnan Province, China

The objective of the paper is to set up an evaluation index for coordinating natural conservation with socio-economic development through assessing landscape conservation and analyzing effect of landscape utilization on the social sustainable development for the improvement of landscape protection. With the case study area located in Jiuxiang gorge and cave scenic area of Yunnan Province, the assessing index system for the landscape naturality, functionality and locality was designed. Analytical results show that,(1) The naturality index of the Jiuxiang scenic area is 7.004 which falls in the index range of secondary landscapes; (2) Its functionality index is 7.58 representing a type of scenic landscape under development; (3) The locality index is 6.8 which indicates that the area is currently at a transformation stage with its industrial type shifting from scenic industry to services for local communities and local employment. According to the landscape patterns of the scenic area, four sub-areas for the landscape conservation were proposed in this study. They are respectively local plant corridor and cultural landscape conservation sub-area, gorge river landscape protection sub-area, gorge cave landscape protection and associated vegetation conservation sub-area, and sub-area of plant vegetation protection and rocky desertification control. It is suggested that the scenic area be preserved in a natural manner. Meanwhile, the local communities’ leading tourist service industry and local special products should be further developed for consolidating the socio-economic base of the communities and residents.