An invasive species erodes the performance of coastal wetland protected areas

背景+问题：The world has increasingly relied on protected areas (PAs) to rescue highly valued ecosystems from human activities, but whether PAs will fare well with bioinvasions remains unknown. 

主要发现：By analyzing three decades of seven of the largest coastal PAs in China, including World Natural Heritage and/or Wetlands of International Importance sites, we show that, although PAs are achieving success in rescuing iconic wetlands and critical shorebird habitats from once widespread reclamation, this success is counteracted by escalating plant invasions. 

结果：Plant invasions were not only more extensive in PAs than non-PA controls but also undermined PA performance by, without human intervention, irreversibly replacing expansive native wetlands (primarily mudflats) and precluding successional formation of new native marshes. Exotic species are invading PAs globally.

结论：This study across large spatiotemporal scales highlights that the consequences of bioinvasions for humanity’s major conservation tool may be more profound, far reaching, and critical for management than currently recognized.

 摘 要 

全球越来越依赖于保护区来恢复受人类活动所破坏的重要生态系统，但是保护区能否在生物入侵方面表现出色仍不得而知。本文中，作者分析了中国包括世界自然遗产和国际重要湿地在内的7个最大的沿海保护区三十多年的数据，发现尽管保护区在从曾经广泛的开荒活动中拯救标志性湿地和重要滨鸟栖息地等方面取得了成功，但是这种成功又在被不断蔓延的入侵植物所抵消。植物入侵不仅在保护区中比非保护区蔓延更加广泛，而且在没有人为干预的情况下，入侵植物会不可逆地取代以泥滩为主的广阔原生湿地，进而阻止了新的原生沼泽连接成片，破坏了保护区建立的价值。外来物种正在全面入侵保护区。本研究通过跨时空大尺度上收集的数据分析，揭示了生物入侵对于我们人类最依赖的主流保护形式的影响，可能比我们之前所认识到的更深刻、更深远、更关键。