scholarly journals The revised IUCN protected area management categories: the debate and ways forward

Oryx ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Dudley ◽  
Jeffrey D. Parrish ◽  
Kent H. Redford ◽  
Sue Stolton
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Category System ◽  
Management Objectives ◽  
Sacred Natural Sites ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Policy And Planning

AbstractThe global protected area estate is the world’s largest ever planned land use. Protected areas are not monolithic and vary in their purpose, designation, management and outcomes. The IUCN protected area category system is a typology based on management objectives. It documents protected area types and is increasingly used in laws, policy and planning. As its role grows, the category system must be reactive to opinions and open to modifications. In response to requests from members IUCN undertook a 4-year consultation and recently published revised guidelines for the categories. These made subtle but important changes to the protected area definition, giving greater emphasis to nature conservation, protection over the long term and management effectiveness. It refined some categories and gave principles for application. Debates during revision were intense and highlighted many of the issues and challenges surrounding protected areas in the early 21st century. There was a consensus on many issues including the suitability of different governance models (such as indigenous and community conserved areas), sacred natural sites, moving the emphasis of Category IV from habitat manipulation towards species and habitat protection, and recognition of legally defined zones within a protected area as different categories. However, there was considerable disagreement about the definition of a protected area, the appropriateness of some categories with extensive human use, the possibility of linking category classification with biodiversity outcomes, and recognition of territories of indigenous peoples. We map these debates and propose actions to resolve these issues: a necessary step if the world’s protected area network is to be representative, secure and well managed.

scholarly journals Looking for consensual protection categories to reduce conservation conflicts in protected áreas

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica de Castro-Pardo ◽  
Fernando Pérez-Rodríguez ◽  
João Carlos Azevedo ◽  
Vicente Urios
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Promethee Ii ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Management Objectives ◽  
Natural Park ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Management Priorities

ABSTRACT: Decision-making in protected areas is often difficult due to an unclear definition of management objectives and indicators for their monitoring. This is frequently related to the coexistence of systems of protected areas at national and regional levels for which management objectives are ambiguous or that are not directly related to protected areas classification standards. In this study, we proposed a participative model based on PROMETHEE II to find consensual protected areas categories based on IUCN framework. This model involved the stakeholder’s assessments of management objectives in a protected area and their aggregation based on distance comparisons with objectives of international protected areas standards. The model was tested in the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park, a strongly human-modified wetland located in Eastern Spain and it allowed the identification of consensual management priorities and the IUCN category V as the equivalent international protected area category for this regional protected area.

scholarly journals Gap analyses of priority wild relatives of food crop in current ex situ and in situ conservation in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wiguna Rahman ◽  
Joana Magos Brehm ◽  
Nigel Maxted ◽  
Jade Phillips ◽  
Aremi R. Contreras-Toledo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
In Situ Conservation ◽  
Wild Relatives ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Complementarity Analysis ◽  
Ex Situ Collections ◽  
Conservation Actions

AbstractConservation programmes are always limited by available resources. Careful planning is therefore required to increase the efficiency of conservation and gap analysis can be used for this purpose. This method was used to assess the representativeness of current ex situ and in situ conservation actions of 234 priority crop wild relatives (CWR) in Indonesia. This analysis also included species distribution modelling, the creation of an ecogeographical land characterization map, and a complementarity analysis to identify priorities area for in situ conservation and for further collecting of ex situ conservation programmes. The results show that both current ex situ and in situ conservation actions are insufficient. Sixty-six percent of priority CWRs have no recorded ex situ collections. Eighty CWRs with ex situ collections are still under-represented in the national genebanks and 65 CWRs have no presence records within the existing protected area network although 60 are predicted to exist in several protected areas according to their potential distribution models. The complementarity analysis shows that a minimum of 61 complementary grid areas (complementary based on grid cells) are required to conserve all priority taxa and 40 complementary protected areas (complementary based on existing protected areas) are required to conserve those with known populations within the existing in situ protected area network. The top ten of complementary protected areas are proposed as the initial areas for the development of CWR genetic reserves network in Indonesia. It is recommended to enhanced coordination between ex situ and in situ conservation stakeholders for sustaining the long term conservation of CWR in Indonesia. Implementation of the research recommendations will provide for the first time an effective conservation planning of Indonesia’s CWR diversity and will significantly enhance the country’s food and nutritional security.

Protected Areas: offering security to whom, when and where?

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALICE B. KELLY ◽  
A. CLARE GUPTA
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Context ◽  
Term Management ◽  
Over Time

SUMMARYThis study considers the issue of security in the context of protected areas in Cameroon and Botswana. Though the literature on issues of security and well-being in relation to protected areas is extensive, there has been less discussion of how and in what ways these impacts and relationships can change over time, vary with space and differ across spatial scales. Looking at two very different historical trajectories, this study considers the heterogeneity of the security landscapes created by Waza and Chobe protected areas over time and space. This study finds that conservation measures that various subsets of the local population once considered to be ‘bad’ (e.g. violent, exclusionary protected area creation) may be construed as ‘good’ at different historical moments and geographical areas. Similarly, complacency or resignation to the presence of a park can be reversed by changing environmental conditions. Changes in the ways security (material and otherwise) has fluctuated within these two protected areas has implications for the long-term management and funding strategies of newly created and already existing protected areas today. This study suggests that parks must be adaptively managed not only for changing ecological conditions, but also for shifts in a protected area's social, political and economic context.

scholarly journals Areas of endemism of Cactaceae and the effectiveness of the protected area network in the Chihuahuan Desert

Oryx ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Héctor M. Hernández ◽  
Carlos Gómez-Hinostrosa
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Chihuahuan Desert ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Protected Area Network ◽  
Complementarity Analysis ◽  
Areas Of Endemism ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Narrow Endemism

AbstractWe used distribution data of 121 cactus species endemic to the Chihuahuan Desert to test the effectiveness of the region’s protected area network. The analysis of species distribution using a 30′ latitude × 30′ longitude grid facilitated the identification and categorization of areas of endemism. We found a low degree of coincidence between protected areas and the areas of cactus endemism, and only 63.6% of the 121 species occur in protected areas. A complementarity analysis showed that 10 of the protected areas contain the 77 species that occur in protected areas. The four top priority areas protect 65 (84.4%) of these 77 species The 44 unprotected species are mainly micro-endemic and taxonomically distinctive taxa widely scattered in the region. The complementarity analysis applied to these species showed that all of them can be contained in a minimum of 24 grid squares, representing 32.9% of the total area occupied. Their strong spatial dispersion, along with their narrow endemism, is a major conservation challenge. We conclude that the current protected area network is insufficient to protect the rich assemblage of cacti endemic to the Chihuahuan Desert. Conservation efforts in this region should be enhanced by increasing the effectiveness of the already existing protected areas and by the creation of additional protected areas, specifically micro-reserves, to provide refuge for the unprotected species.

scholarly journals The geography of high-value biodiversity areas for terrestrial vertebrates in Western Europe and their coverage by protected area networks

Web Ecology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. T. Assunção-Albuquerque ◽  
J. M. Rey Benayas ◽  
F. S. Albuquerque ◽  
M. Á. Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Natura 2000 Network ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽  
Major Taxon

Abstract. We identified high-value biodiversity areas (HVBAs) of terrestrial vertebrates according to a combined index of biodiversity (CBI) for each major taxon and a standardized biodiversity index (SBI) for all taxa in 2195 cells of 50 × 50 km in Western Europe to evaluate whether these areas are included in the current protected area networks. The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and NATURA 2000 protected area network were used to assess the protected area cover in HVBAs. WDPA and NATURA 2000 were geographically quite complementary as WDPA is more densely represented in Central and Northern Europe and NATURA 2000 in the Mediterranean basin. A total of 729 cells were identified as HVBAs. From the total of these HVBA areas, NATURA 2000 network was present in more cells (660) than the WDPA network (584 cells). The sum of protected land percentages across all the HVBA cells was 28.8%. The identified HVBA cells according to the SBI included 603 or 78.2% of all vertebrate species in the study region, whereas the identified HVBA cells according to the SBI for individual taxa included 47 (90.4%) species of amphibians, 79 (74.5%) of reptiles, 417 (88.5%) of birds, and 130 (91.5%) of mammals. However, neither network was present in 7 or 3% of the identified HVBA cells. Thus, we recommend expanding protected areas in Europe to fill this gap and improve coverage of vertebrate species to strengthen biodiversity conservation.

scholarly journals Protected Areas and Endemic Freshwater Fishes of the Cape Fold Ecoregion: Missing the Boat for Fish Conservation?

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine S. Jordaan ◽  
Albert Chakona ◽  
Dewidine van der Colff
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Freshwater Fishes ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Protected Area Network ◽  
Conservation Targets ◽  
Riverine Systems

Freshwater systems and their associated biodiversity are among the most threatened ecosystems globally. The greatest threats to freshwater fishes are the introduction and spread of non-native species, pollution, habitat degradation and loss, and overexploitation. While many regions across the world contain extensive networks of protected areas, these are largely ineffective for protecting riverine systems and their biodiversity. This is because they were designed with the aim of prioritising conservation of terrestrial biodiversity, with limited or no consideration for aquatic systems. The Cape Fold Ecoregion, located within the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa, is home to the highest percentage of threatened freshwater fishes in the country. The region has an extensive protected area network that protects a wide array of ecosystems, but limited information exists on the role of protected areas in conserving the endemic freshwater fish fauna of this region. This study evaluated the value of protected areas for protection of freshwater fishes in the Western Cape Province by setting species conservation targets and then intersecting species distribution data with protected area polygons. Conservation targets were set to protect the minimum viable population required for long-term persistence, with a minimum of 10 subpopulations as a target. This, along with other factors such as population viability and protected area effectiveness was used to determine whether a species was effectively protected by the current protected area network. Species were classified into one of four categories; (1) “well protected,” (2) “moderately protected,” (3) “poorly protected,” and (4) “not protected.” Our results indicate that the majority of native fishes are inadequately protected within the current protected area network in the province. This is mainly a result of the linear nature of riverine ecosystems that exposes them to impacts and threats that emanate from outside of the protected area. These limitations are not unique to the CFE, and our findings have broader implications as they highlight the need for integrating both the riverine and terrestrial ecosystems in the design, expansion and management of protected areas. This will enhance and maximise conservation and protection of riverine systems and their unique biodiversity.

scholarly journals Providing more protected space for tigers Panthera tigris: a landscape conservation approach in the Western Ghats, southern India

Oryx ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 336-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjay Gubbi ◽  
Kaushik Mukherjee ◽  
M.H. Swaminath ◽  
H.C. Poornesha
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Panthera Tigris ◽  
Landscape Conservation ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Protected Area Network ◽  
Indian State

AbstractConservation of large carnivores is challenging as they face various threats, including habitat loss and fragmentation. One of the current challenges to tiger Panthera tigris conservation in India is the conversion of habitat to uses that are incompatible with conservation of the species. Bringing more tiger habitat within a protected area system and in the process creating a network of connected protected areas will deliver dual benefits of wildlife conservation and protection of watersheds. Focusing on the southern Indian state of Karnataka, which holds one of the largest contiguous tiger populations, we attempted to address this challenge using a conservation planning technique that considers ecological, social and political factors. This approach yielded several conservation successes, including an expansion of the protected area network by 2,385 km2, connection of 23 protected areas, and the creation of three complexes of protected areas, increasing the protected area network in Karnataka from 3.8 to 5.2% of the state's land area. This represents the largest expansion of protected areas in India since the 1970s. Such productive partnerships between government officials and conservationists highlight the importance of complementary roles in conservation planning and implementation.

scholarly journals Correlates of long-term land-cover change and protected area performance at priority conservation sites in Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALISON E. BERESFORD ◽  
GRAEME M. BUCHANAN ◽  
BEN PHALAN ◽  
GEORGE W. ESHIAMWATA ◽  
ANDREW BALMFORD ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Absolute Difference ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Natural Land

SUMMARYThe loss of natural habitats is a major threat to biodiversity, and protected area designation is one of the standard responses to this threat. However, greater understanding of the drivers of habitat loss and of the circumstances under which protected areas succeed or fail is still needed. We use visual assessment of satellite images to quantify land-cover change over periods of up to 30 years in and around a matched sample of protected and unprotected Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) in Africa. We modelled the annual survival of forests and other natural land covers as a function of a range of environmental and anthropic predictors of plausible drivers. The best-supported model indicated that survival rates of natural land cover were highest in steeper areas, at higher altitudes, in areas with lower human population densities and in areas where the cover of natural habitats was already higher at the start of the period. Survival rates of natural land cover in protected areas were, on average, around twice those in unprotected areas, but the differences between them varied along different environmental gradients. The overall survival rates of both protected and unprotected forests were significantly lower than those of other natural land-cover types, but the net benefit of protection, in terms of the absolute difference in rates of loss between protected and unprotected sites, was higher in forests. Interaction terms indicated that as slope and altitude increased, the natural protection offered by topography increasingly nullified the additional benefits of legislative protection. Furthermore, protected area designation offered reduced additional benefits to the survival of natural land cover in areas where rates of conversion were higher at the start of the observation period. Variation in the impacts of protected area status along different environmental gradients indicates that targets to improve the world's protected area network, such as Aichi Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, need to look beyond simple area-based metrics. Our methods and results contribute to the development of a protocol for prioritizing places where protection is likely to have the greatest effect.

scholarly journals Nature protection across countries: Do size and power matter?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Germán Baldi
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
The Face ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Limited Spectrum ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Effective Growth

AbstractProtected areas are one of the most effective tools for nature conservation. Consequently, almost all countries have agreed to set increasingly demanding goals for the expansion of their protected area systems. However, there is a large disparity among countries, and research on the cultural drivers of differences remains quite unexplored. Here, we explore the relationship between protected extent and a limited spectrum of socio-economic characteristics, making focus on size and power features. Protected areas under strict conservation categories (I to IV, IUCN) were considered for 195 countries, and relationships were modeled by means of LOESS regressions, violin plots, and a random forest ensemble learning method. Larger and more powerful countries (in terms of land area, gross domestic product, or military expenditure) protect less and in relatively smaller units than smaller and less powerful countries. Out of the twenty most extensive countries of the world, only two exceed 10% of protection. This situation is problematic since an effective growth of the global protected area network depends on the willingness of larger and more powerful countries. We propose different hypotheses a posteriori that explain the role of size and power driving protection. These hypotheses involve direct mechanisms (e.g., the persuasive capacity of large countries) or mechanisms that mediate the interactions of some others (e.g., tourism contribution to GDP and insularity). Independently of mechanisms, our results emphasize the conservation responsibilities of large and powerful countries and contribute to envision conservation scenarios in the face of changes in the number and size of countries.

scholarly journals Integrating climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation in the global ocean

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. eaay9969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek P. Tittensor ◽  
Maria Beger ◽  
Kristina Boerder ◽  
Daniel G. Boyce ◽  
Rachel D. Cavanagh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Management Objectives ◽  
Responsive Design

The impacts of climate change and the socioecological challenges they present are ubiquitous and increasingly severe. Practical efforts to operationalize climate-responsive design and management in the global network of marine protected areas (MPAs) are required to ensure long-term effectiveness for safeguarding marine biodiversity and ecosystem services. Here, we review progress in integrating climate change adaptation into MPA design and management and provide eight recommendations to expedite this process. Climate-smart management objectives should become the default for all protected areas, and made into an explicit international policy target. Furthermore, incentives to use more dynamic management tools would increase the climate change responsiveness of the MPA network as a whole. Given ongoing negotiations on international conservation targets, now is the ideal time to proactively reform management of the global seascape for the dynamic climate-biodiversity reality.

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