Spatially Differentiated Trends between Forest Pest-Induced Losses and Measures for Their Control

Historically, China has exhibited spatial differentiation in issues ranging from population
distribution to ecological or economic development; forest pest-control work exemplifies this
tendency. In recent times, global warming, man-made monoculture tree-plantations, increasing
human population density, and intensified international trade aggravate forest pest outbreaks.
Although the Chinese government has complied with internationally recommended practices, some
aspects of pest management remain unaddressed due to existing differential regional imbalance in
forest pest distribution and control capacities. Evidence shows that the high-income provinces in
the south have taken advantage of economic and technological superiority, resulting in the adoption
of more efficient pest-control measures. In contrast, the economically underdeveloped provinces of
the northwest continue to experience a paucity of financial support that has led to serious threats
of pest damage that almost mirror the demarcations of the Hu Huanyong Line. In this paper, we
propose the introduction of a Public–Private–Partnership (PPP) model into forest pest control and
the combination of the national strategies to enact regional prevention measures to break away from
current spatially differentiated trends in China.