Biodiversity in China coexists alongside large ethnically diverse rural human populations within linked ‘biocultural’ social–ecological systems. Cumulative and changing local anthropogenic pressures linked to human population growth and economic development are driving unsustainable resource exploitation, habitat loss and extensive species declines. However, these pressures vary between species and systems, and efforts to conserve regional biodiversity may also have unintended negative impacts on local communities and their long‐term relationship with nature. Based on our extensive experience working across China's diverse but vulnerable biocultural landscapes, we showcase a series of case studies that illustrate the differing interactions between biodiversity and local community use of natural resources, and the differing consequences of conservation management on local livelihoods. We highlight that some social–ecological relationships in China can maintain and support biodiversity, and we advocate for management underpinned by interdisciplinary conservation research that engages local communities, associated with robust evidence‐based assessment and evaluation frameworks to ensure effective monitoring and optimization of impacts. We frame a series of steps required to understand and mitigate local pressures on threatened species in China and identify potential ‘win–win’ approaches for the regional maintenance of biodiversity, ecosystem services and sustainable livelihoods, with directions proposed for future research, engagement and management. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. 摘要 在中国，丰富的生物多样性与同样庞大的、具多元民族特色的农村人口共存于相互关联的”生物文化”自然‐社会系统中。在人口和经济增长驱动下不断积累的人为压力引发了不可持续的资源开发、物种栖息地丧失和种群衰退等问题。然而，这些压力往往因不同系统中社区文化与物种的特征而存在较大的差异，导致保护行动有时会无意中给当地社区以及他们与自然的长期关系带来负面影响。 基于我们在中国多样性丰富但脆弱的生物文化景观中大量的研究经验，我们在本文展示了一系列的案例研究，以说明生物多样性与当地社区资源利用之间的互动关系，以及保护管理对社区生计的不同影响。 我们强调自然‐社会系统的良性互动对维持和保护生物多样性至关重要，并提倡在保护管理中结合包括自然科学与社会科学等跨学科方法、提高社区参与、配合实证评估，以确保有效的项目监测和成果的最大化。 为响应该倡议，我们构建了路线及实践措施，一方面了解和缓解当地受威胁物种所面临的压力，另一方面识别潜在的使自然‐社会”共赢”的方法，以服务于区域性的生物多样性、生态系统服务和可持续生计。文中进一步提出了对保护研究、多方参与和保护管理的优化建议。 Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.