Journal ArticleDOI
Bolder science needed now for protected areas
James E. M. Watson,James E. M. Watson,Emily S. Darling,Emily S. Darling,Oscar Venter,Martine Maron,Joe Walston,Hugh P. Possingham,Nigel Dudley,Nigel Dudley,Marc Hockings,Megan Barnes,Thomas M. Brooks +12 more
TLDR
The conservation science community can help establish ecologically sensible PA targets to help prioritize important biodiversity areas and achieve ecological representation; identify clear, comparable performance metrics of ecological effectiveness so progress toward these targets can be assessed; and identify metrics and report on the contribution OECMs make toward the target.Abstract:
Recognizing that protected areas (PAs) are essential for effective biodiversity conservation action, the Convention on Biological Diversity established ambitious PA targets as part of the 2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity. Under the strategic goal to "improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity," Target 11 aims to put 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine regions under PA status by 2020. Additionally and crucially, these areas are required to be of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative, and well-connected and to include "other effective area-based conservation measures" (OECMs). Whereas the area-based targets are explicit and measurable, the lack of guidance for what constitutes important and representative; effective; and OECMs is affecting how nations are implementing the target. There is a real risk that Target 11 may be achieved in terms of area while failing the overall strategic goal for which it is established because the areas are poorly located, inadequately managed, or based on unjustifiable inclusion of OECMs. We argue that the conservation science community can help establish ecologically sensible PA targets to help prioritize important biodiversity areas and achieve ecological representation; identify clear, comparable performance metrics of ecological effectiveness so progress toward these targets can be assessed; and identify metrics and report on the contribution OECMs make toward the target. By providing ecologically sensible targets and new performance metrics for measuring the effectiveness of both PAs and OECMs, the science community can actively ensure that the achievement of the required area in Target 11 is not simply an end in itself but generates genuine benefits for biodiversity.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
One-third of global protected land is under intense human pressure.
Kendall R. Jones,Oscar Venter,Richard A. Fuller,James Allan,Sean L. Maxwell,Pablo Jose Negret,James E. M. Watson,James E. M. Watson +7 more
TL;DR: Use of the most comprehensive global map of human pressure shows that 6 million square kilometers (32.8%) of protected land is under intense human pressure, showing that they are potentially effective, at least in some nations.
Journal ArticleDOI
Upgrading protected areas to conserve wild biodiversity
TL;DR: International agreements mandate the expansion of Earth's protected-area network as a bulwark against the continued extinction of wild populations, species, and ecosystems; the conundrum is how to increase their coverage and effectiveness simultaneously.
Journal ArticleDOI
Bias in protected‐area location and its effects on long‐term aspirations of biodiversity conventions
Oscar Venter,Ainhoa Magrach,Ainhoa Magrach,Nick Outram,Carissa J. Klein,Hugh P. Possingham,Hugh P. Possingham,Moreno Di Marco,James E. M. Watson,James E. M. Watson +9 more
TL;DR: It is found that both old and new protected areas did not target places with high concentrations of threatened vertebrate species, and appeared to be established in locations that minimize conflict with agriculturally suitable lands.
Journal ArticleDOI
Changing trends and persisting biases in three decades of conservation science
Moreno Di Marco,Sarah Chapman,Glenn Althor,Stephen G. Kearney,Charles Besançon,Nathalie Butt,Joseph Maina,Hugh P. Possingham,Hugh P. Possingham,Katharina Rogalla von Bieberstein,Oscar Venter,James E. M. Watson,James E. M. Watson +12 more
TL;DR: It is found that some of the historically under-studied biodiversity elements are receiving significantly more attention today, despite being still under-represented, and a disconnect between scientific focus and conservation needs is still present.
Journal ArticleDOI
Widespread shortfalls in protected area resourcing undermine efforts to conserve biodiversity
Lauren Coad,James E. M. Watson,James E. M. Watson,Jonas Geldmann,Neil D. Burgess,Neil D. Burgess,Fiona Leverington,Marc Hockings,Marc Hockings,Kathryn Knights,Moreno Di Marco,Moreno Di Marco +11 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used management reports from 2167 PAs (with an area representing 23% of the global terrestrial PA estate) to demonstrate that less than a quarter of these PAs report having adequate resources in terms of staffing and budget.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change
Matthew C. Hansen,Peter Potapov,Rebecca Moore,M. Hancher,Svetlana Turubanova,Alexandra Tyukavina,David Thau,Stephen V. Stehman,Scott J. Goetz,Thomas R. Loveland,Anil Kommareddy,A. Egorov,Louise Chini,Christopher O. Justice,John R. Townshend +14 more
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Confronting a biome crisis: global disparities of habitat loss and protection
TL;DR: The world’s terrestrial biomes and, at a finer spatial scale, ecoregions in which biodiversity and ecological function are at greatest risk because of extensive habitat conversion and limited habitat protection are identified.
Journal ArticleDOI
The performance and potential of protected areas
TL;DR: A step change involving increased recognition, funding, planning and enforcement is urgently needed if protected areas are going to fulfil their potential.
Journal ArticleDOI
Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features
Graham J. Edgar,Rick D. Stuart-Smith,Trevor J. Willis,Stuart Kininmonth,Stuart Kininmonth,Susan C. Baker,Stuart Banks,Neville S. Barrett,Mikel A. Becerro,Anthony T. F. Bernard,Just Berkhout,Colin D. Buxton,Stuart Campbell,Antonia T. Cooper,Marlene Davey,Sophie C. Edgar,Günter Försterra,David Edgardo Galvan,Alejo Joaquin Irigoyen,David J. Kushner,Rodrigo L. Moura,P. Ed Parnell,Nick T. Shears,German Soler,Elisabeth M. A. Strain,Russell Thomson +25 more
TL;DR: The results show that global conservation targets based on area alone will not optimize protection of marine biodiversity, and more emphasis is needed on better MPA design, durable management and compliance to ensure that MPAs achieve their desired conservation value.
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