Developing integrated protected area communities: Insights from Gaoligongshan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, China

The integrated protected area community (IPAC) model is a Chinese innovation in protected area governance, emerging from the convergence of national policy support, local government implementation, and community participation. Rather than relying solely on administrative jurisdiction or geographic proximity, IPAC uses protected areas as institutional hubs to align ecological conservation with community development and regional collaboration. Based on the case of the Gaoligongshan UNESCO biosphere reserve, this study examines how policy coordination, stakeholder integration, and ecological value realization are operationalized under the IPAC approach, highlighting an integrated mechanism that combines state-led planning, multi-entity co-governance, and ecological product valorization. The Gaoligongshan case suggests that the IPAC model holds institutional potential for informing the development of national parks and protected areas in China. The model offers a scalable pathway toward more inclusive, adaptive, and sustainable conservation. Further refinement of its institutional design, market mechanisms, and community capacity is essential to advance human-nature coexistence.