Research on China′s national parks from 2013 to 2023 based on Bibliometrics

Since China first proposed the national park system in 2013, the practice and exploration in the past ten years have led China′s national parks into a new chapter of construction. During this period, numerous breakthroughs have emerged in the research of China′s national parks to deepen the understanding of its research status. This study uses a bibliometric research method based on scientific and technological facts to conduct an in-depth analysis of 269 English and 1003 Chinese literature retrieved. Through literature visualization using Vosviewer and Citespace, it is possible to conduct a detailed analysis of the number of publications, authors and institutions, publication disciplines, research hotspots and trends, and propose future research directions. The research results reveal that: 1) The overall research on China′s national parks has shown a trend of continuous growth, with an average annual growth rate of 27.03%, which can be divided into the exploration stage from 2013 to 2015, the growth stage from 2016 to 2020, and the outbreak stage from 2021 to 2023. A clear collaborative network has been established between the authors of each publication and the research institutions, and different scientific research institutions have different focuses. 2) The research on China′s national parks currently focuses on institutional construction paths, international experience and inspiration, biodiversity conservation, and regional sustainable development. Compared with the discussion of institutional mechanisms in Chinese literature, English literature is more inclined to focus on species, ecosystems, and climate change. In addition, the research on China′s national parks has shown its uniqueness in all three stages: The research during 2013—2015 was mainly based on theoretical discussions and case analysis. In 2016—2020, there were many interdisciplinary studies, with continuous innovations in research theories, methods, and technologies. The research during 2021—2023 has further expanded in depth and breadth, and gradually focused on supervision and optimization. 3) The future research directions of China′s national parks will be proposed from the following four aspects: biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration, community co-construction and multi-governance, sustainable development and livelihood security, and management and conservation effectiveness assessment.