Hotspots adjacent to reserves: Spatial conflicts between waterbird hotspots and protected farmland in Poyang Lake Basin, China

) of persistent hotspots overlapped with permanent basic farmland, particularly in counties simultaneously prioritized for ecological conservation and agricultural intensification, revealing a clear spatial mismatch between conservation needs and rigid farmland protection policies. Species-specific responses to environmental drivers highlight differences in habitat specialization and sensitivity to human disturbance. Our findings underscore the need for basin-scale hydrological restoration, species-specific management of agricultural habitats, and spatially explicit compensation schemes that better align farmer livelihoods with wetland biodiversity conservation. This case provides transferable insights for managing human-waterbird conflicts in agricultural wetlands where static land-use policies intersect with dynamic ecological processes.