The division of protected areas in geoparks based on GIS:A case study of Shennongjia Global Geopark of Hubei Province

The division of protected area is one of the most important tasks in planning of geoparks and also the foundation for future construction;nevertheless , some relevant problems exist such as vague standards of division . This study was based on the investigation of geosites and the framework of Visitor Experience and Resource Protection ( VERP) .Evaluation scale was composed of 7 indicators that were selected and weighted by AHP .The GIS was used as a tool to quantitatively evaluate the protected index of the geopark .The Shennongjia Global Geopark of Hubei Province was selected as the study area , and the results showed that the protected index was from 8 .4 to 124 .4 , which indicated the aggregation and spatial difference .The final protected areas were divided on the basis of the preliminary map , with the consideration of the local economic demands and land using planning .The achievement shows that total area of protected areas in the Shennongjia Geopark is 174.749 km2 , which is the basis for the planning of division of functional zones and construction of geoparks in the future .