Currently, China is vigorously promoting the establishment of the system of protected areas with national parks as the main body. In addition to safeguarding the integrity and authenticity of the ecosystem, protecting and restoring rare and endangered species and their habitats, and maintaining and enhancing ecosystem services, national parks also play a crucial role in mitigating climate change and facilitating China's "carbon neutrality" goals. With the strategic objective of achieving carbon neutrality, it is crucial to prioritize the construction, management, and utilization of national parks as carbon reservoirs. However, comparing with relevant international studies, research on national parks' contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation and their role in attaining carbon neutrality is still at an early stage in China. Climate change poses various potential impacts on national parks, including altering land use patterns, compromising ecosystem integrity, affecting species and their habitats, and intensifying climate extremes. Therefore, in this paper, measures and recommendations for the establishment and management of national parks in China within the framework of carbon neutrality goals are proposed: (1) exploring collaborative mechanisms and pathways for managing both the development of national park system and climate change; (2) enhancing the construction and monitoring of protected areas with national parks as the main body amidst changing climatic conditions; (3) strengthening supervision over carbon emission reduction initiatives within protected areas such as national parks; (4) further investigating "nature-based solutions" to formulate comprehensive action plans.

national park  /  protected areas  /  biodiversity