ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Conservation and Sustainability
Improving Marine Protected Area Zoning through Species-Oriented Analysis Using Wildlife Remote Sensing
Hainan University, Haikou, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Abstract
Designing protected area zones that align with species' space use and key habitat requirementsspatial needs is critical for effective biodiversity conservation. This study presents a species-oriented approach using very high-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery to assess and optimize the spatial zoning of a national nature reserve in China. We identified individual whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) and analyzed their abundance and distribution from 2009 to 2016, including a detailed overwintering period. The satellite-derived data revealed substantial shifts in habitat use, including a tripling of swan numbers on the western shores and a sharp decline in Yangyuchi Bay. Over half of the swans were located in mudflats and unprotected or under-designated areas. By comparing swan distribution with existing zoning, we proposed a rezoning strategy that adds 301.8 hectares to the core zone. Our findings demonstrate how satellite-based wildlife monitoring can support adaptive, species-informed management of protected areas and contribute to the global target of conserving 30% of land and sea areas by 2030.
Summary
Keywords
30×30 biodiversity target, Population distribution, Population Dynamics, Spatial zoning, VHR satellite imagery, Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)
Received
29 October 2025
Accepted
30 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Peng Zhao
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.