Yuhan Li

I aim to explore pathways toward improving people-nature relationships, focusing on the implications of China’s national parks in achieving the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework. My research centers on China, which is working toward establishing the world’s largest national park system by 2035. I will conduct extensive fieldwork in China’s first national park—the Three-River-Source on the Tibetan Plateau—where I previously worked on conservation initiatives.

My research has two key components. Firstly, policy analysis. China’s national parks were established during the era of the Global Biodiversity Framework, emphasizing human-nature coexistence and serving as the country’s most significant protected areas. These parks encompass vast, biodiverse ecosystems that are home to local communities, with the dual goal of conserving biodiversity and supporting community development. However, it remains unclear to what extent the Framework’s global targets have been integrated into China’s national park policies. My research will analyse policy discourse at the national level and across five established national parks, identifying alignments and gaps with global conservation targets.

Secondly, impact evaluation. The creation of the Three-River-Source National Park introduced new incentives for local communities, such as employing 17,211 local people as rangers and piloting snow leopard ecotourism projects. However, the impacts of these initiatives on local culture, livelihoods and conservation motivations remain underexplored. I will use participatory methods to understand the theory of change underpins these interventions and empirically evaluate the social and ecological outcomes. Additionally, I will conduct predictive studies to explore interactions between external and internal drivers of conservation, ensuring that limited resources deliver tangible benefits for both people and nature.