Objectives To analyse the evolution process and research progress of conflict and governance between natural protected areas and communities in China, and to explore future research trends and breakthroughs in conflict governance.

Methods A quantitative study of literature related to community conflict governance in China's natural protected areas was conducted through bibliometric analysis to analyse the causes and types of community conflicts, conflict governance tools, and to explore the evolutionary trends of conflicts between nature reserves and communities.

Results The evolution of natural protected areas and the broader context of social development have prompted shifts in the research focus on conflict governance between natural protected areas and communities in China. Firstly, the research process has gone through a transition from the initial adoption of community co-management concepts from foreign countries, to the identification and analysis of conflict dynamics, and to the means and effectiveness of conflict governance. Secondly, the research focus has evolved from the early national natural protected areas to encompass national parks. Thirdly, the manifestation of conflict has shifted from its initial focus on the direct resource utilization conflicts to the subsequent emergence of opportunity costs and hidden costs of research and development. This shift reflected characteristics and development trends of conflict governance research in different eras.

Conclusions The results of the bibliometric analysis, when considered in conjunction with the present development requirements for natural protected areas in China, indicated that there has been an urgent necessity for further theoretical research on the governance of conflicts involving natural protected areas and communities. Future research should focus on a quantitative analysis of the impacts of contradictory conflicts, as well as the integration of multiple disciplines.