scholarly journals Opportunities drive the global distribution of protected areas

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e2989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Germán Baldi ◽  
Marcos Texeira ◽  
Osvaldo A. Martin ◽  
H. Ricardo Grau ◽  
Esteban G. Jobbágy
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Variable Importance ◽  
Land Conservation ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Global Level ◽  
International Borders ◽  
Conservation Result ◽  
Preference Criteria ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Environmental Representativeness

BackgroundProtected areas, regarded today as a cornerstone of nature conservation, result from an array of multiple motivations and opportunities. We explored at global and regional levels the current distribution of protected areas along biophysical, human, and biological gradients, and assessed to what extent protection has pursued (i) a balanced representation of biophysical environments, (ii) a set of preferred conditions (biological, spiritual, economic, or geopolitical), or (iii) existing opportunities for conservation regardless of any representation or preference criteria.MethodsWe used histograms to describe the distribution of terrestrial protected areas along biophysical, human, and biological independent gradients and linear and non-linear regression and correlation analyses to describe the sign, shape, and strength of the relationships. We used a random forest analysis to rank the importance of different variables related to conservation preferences and opportunity drivers, and an evenness metric to quantify representativeness.ResultsWe find that protection at a global level is primarily driven by the opportunities provided by isolation and a low population density (variable importance = 34.6 and 19.9, respectively). Preferences play a secondary role, with a bias towards tourism attractiveness and proximity to international borders (variable importance = 12.7 and 3.4, respectively). Opportunities shape protection strongly in “North America & Australia–NZ” and “Latin America & Caribbean,” while the importance of the representativeness of biophysical environments is higher in “Sub-Saharan Africa” (1.3 times the average of other regions).DiscussionEnvironmental representativeness and biodiversity protection are top priorities in land conservation agendas. However, our results suggest that they have been minor players driving current protection at both global and regional levels. Attempts to increase their relevance will necessarily have to recognize the predominant opportunistic nature that the establishment of protected areas has had until present times.

scholarly journals Opportunities drive the global distribution of protected areas

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Germán Baldi ◽  
Marcos Texeira ◽  
Osvaldo A Martin ◽  
H. Ricardo Grau ◽  
Esteban G Jobbágy
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Variable Importance ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
General Description ◽  
Tourist Attractions ◽  
International Borders ◽  
Importance Ranking ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Environmental Representativeness ◽  
Linear Regressions

Background. The establishment of protected areas, regarded today as a cornerstone of nature conservation, resulted from a multiple array of motivations and opportunities. We explore at global and regional levels, the current distribution of protected areas along biophysical, human, and biological gradients, and assess to what extent protection pursued (i) a balanced representation of biophysical environments, (ii) a set of preferred conditions (biological, spiritual, economical, or geopolitical) or (iii) lands where conservation opportunities exist. Methods. We described with histograms the distribution of terrestrial protected areas along physical, human, and biological independent gradients. Linear and non-linear regressions and correlations led to a general description of sign, shape, and strength of the relationships; a random forest analysis led to a importance ranking of the variables related to individual preferential motivations and opportunistic forces; and an evenness metric seized the strength of variables related to individual representative motivations. Results. We found that globally protection was primarily driven by the opportunities provided by isolation and a low population density (variable importance = 34.6 and 19.9, respectively). Preferences played a secondary role, with a bias towards tourist attractions and international borders (variable importance = 12.7 and 3.4, respectively). Opportunities shaped protection strongly in North America & Australia–NZ and Latin America & Caribbean, while the representativeness of biophysical environments was higher in Sub-Saharan Africa (1.3 times the average of other regions). Discussion. Our results suggest that in spite of being a top priority in land conservation agendas, environmental representativeness and biodiversity protection are still minor players driving protection at global and regional levels, and that the attempts to increase their relevance will necessarily have to recognize the predominant weight that other drivers are playing in the protected areas deployment.

scholarly journals Opportunities drive the global distribution of protected areas

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Germán Baldi ◽  
Marcos Texeira ◽  
Osvaldo A Martin ◽  
H. Ricardo Grau ◽  
Esteban G Jobbágy
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Variable Importance ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
General Description ◽  
Tourist Attractions ◽  
International Borders ◽  
Importance Ranking ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Environmental Representativeness ◽  
Linear Regressions

Background. The establishment of protected areas, regarded today as a cornerstone of nature conservation, resulted from a multiple array of motivations and opportunities. We explore at global and regional levels, the current distribution of protected areas along biophysical, human, and biological gradients, and assess to what extent protection pursued (i) a balanced representation of biophysical environments, (ii) a set of preferred conditions (biological, spiritual, economical, or geopolitical) or (iii) lands where conservation opportunities exist. Methods. We described with histograms the distribution of terrestrial protected areas along physical, human, and biological independent gradients. Linear and non-linear regressions and correlations led to a general description of sign, shape, and strength of the relationships; a random forest analysis led to a importance ranking of the variables related to individual preferential motivations and opportunistic forces; and an evenness metric seized the strength of variables related to individual representative motivations. Results. We found that globally protection was primarily driven by the opportunities provided by isolation and a low population density (variable importance = 34.6 and 19.9, respectively). Preferences played a secondary role, with a bias towards tourist attractions and international borders (variable importance = 12.7 and 3.4, respectively). Opportunities shaped protection strongly in North America & Australia–NZ and Latin America & Caribbean, while the representativeness of biophysical environments was higher in Sub-Saharan Africa (1.3 times the average of other regions). Discussion. Our results suggest that in spite of being a top priority in land conservation agendas, environmental representativeness and biodiversity protection are still minor players driving protection at global and regional levels, and that the attempts to increase their relevance will necessarily have to recognize the predominant weight that other drivers are playing in the protected areas deployment.

scholarly journals Genetic diversity of trypanosome species in tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) in Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Sophie Weber ◽  
Sen Claudine Henriette Ngomtcho ◽  
Stephen Saikiu Shaida ◽  
Gloria Dada Chechet ◽  
Thaddeus Terlumun Gbem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Tsetse Flies ◽  
Insect Vector ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Dynamic Populations

Abstract Background Trypanosomes cause disease in humans and livestock in sub-Saharan Africa and rely on tsetse flies as their main insect vector. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa; however, only limited information about the occurrence and diversity of trypanosomes circulating in the country is available. Methods Tsetse flies were collected from five different locations in or adjacent to protected areas, i.e. national parks and game reserves, in Nigeria. Proboscis and gut samples were analysed for trypanosome DNA by molecular amplification of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region and part of the trypanosome specific glycosomal glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH) gene. Results The most abundant Trypanosoma species found in the tsetse gut was T. grayi, a trypanosome infecting crocodiles. It was ubiquitously distributed throughout the country, accounting for over 90% of all cases involving trypanosomes. Trypanosoma congolense was detected in gut samples from all locations except Cross River National Park, but not in the proboscis, while T. brucei (sensu lato) was not detected at all. In proboscis samples, T. vivax was the most prominent. The sequence diversity of gGAPDH suggests that T. vivax and T. grayi represent genetically diverse species clusters. This implies that they are highly dynamic populations. Conclusions The prevalence of animal pathogenic trypanosomes throughout Nigeria emphasises the role of protected areas as reservoirs for livestock trypanosomes. The genetic diversity observed within T. vivax and T. grayi populations might be an indication for changing pathogenicity or host range and the origin and consequences of this diversity has to be further investigated.

scholarly journals Improving Cooperation among Farmers for Communal Land Conservation in Ethiopia: A Public Goods Experiment

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 9290
Author(s):  
Shunji Oniki ◽  
Haftu Etsay ◽  
Melaku Berhe ◽  
Teklay Negash
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Land Conservation ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Natural Resource Conservation ◽  
Communal Land ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
High Level

Farmers in developing countries depend on communal natural resources, yet countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are facing the severe degradation of communal lands due to the so-called “tragedy of the commons”. For the sustainable management of common resources, policy interventions, such as farmer seminars, are necessary to ensure high-level cooperation among farmers for land conservation. However, the effects of this type of information provision are not well known. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the dissemination of conservation information on collaborative communal forest management using an economic field experiment with 936 farmers selected by random sampling from 11 villages in the northern Ethiopian Highlands. We conducted a public goods game experiment using a framework of voluntary contribution to communal land conservation with an intervention to remind participants about the consequence of their behaviors. The results show that the volunteer contribution increased after the intervention, and thereafter the decay of the contribution was slow. The results indicate that providing information about the consequences leads to a higher contribution. The effects of information provision are heterogeneous in terms of social condition, such as access to an urban area and social capital, and individual characteristics, such as wealth. These findings imply that information provision effectively improves farmer collaboration toward natural resource conservation in developing countries.

scholarly journals Epidemiology and hypothetical transmission cycles of Trichinella infections in the Greater Kruger National Park of South Africa: an example of host-parasite interactions in an environment with minimal human interactions

Parasite ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Louis J. La Grange ◽  
Samson Mukaratirwa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Transmission Cycles ◽  
Sub Saharan

Knowledge on the epidemiology, host range and transmission of Trichinella spp. infections in different ecological zones in southern Africa including areas of wildlife-human interface is limited. The majority of reports on Trichinella infections in sub-Saharan Africa were from wildlife resident in protected areas. Elucidation of the epidemiology of the infections and the prediction of hosts involved in the sylvatic cycles within specific ecological niches is critical. Of recent, there have been reports of Trichinella infections in several wildlife species within the Greater Kruger National Park (GKNP) of South Africa, which has prompted the revision and update of published hypothetical transmission cycles including the hypothetical options based previously on the biology and feeding behaviour of wildlife hosts confined to the GKNP. Using data gathered from surveillance studies and reports spanning the period 1964–2019, confirmed transmission cycles and revised hypothesized transmission cycles of three known Trichinella species (T. zimbabwensis, Trichinella T8 and T. nelsoni) are presented. These were formulated based on the epidemiological factors, feeding habits of hosts and prevalence data gathered from the GKNP. We presume that the formulated sylvatic cycles may be extrapolated to similar national parks and wildlife protected areas in sub-Saharan Africa where the same host and parasite species are known to occur. The anecdotal nature of some of the presented data confirms the need for more intense epidemiological surveillance in national parks and wildlife protected areas in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa to unravel the epidemiology of Trichinella infections in these unique and diverse protected landscapes.

scholarly journals Increasing Longevity and the New Demography of Death

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
George W. Leeson
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Global Level ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Using Data

The world is ageing at both an individual and population levels and population ageing is truly a global phenomenon, the only notable region of exception being sub-Saharan Africa, which remains relatively young in demographic terms. At an individual level, life expectancies at birth have increased at the global level from 47 years in the mid-20th century to around 70 years today and are expected to rise to 76 years by the mid-21st century. At the population level, the proportion of the world’s population aged 60 years and over has increased from 8 percent in the mid-20th century to 12 percent, and by 2050, it is expected to reach 21 percent. In Europe, ageing has continued at a slower rate, but with the emergence of increasing numbers of centenarians. This paper outlines the transition using data from England and Wales from a demography of young death in the mid-19th century to a demography of survival in the 20th century and on to the new demography of old death in the 21st century. The paper provides evidence that it is likely that ages at death will continue to increase, with more and more people reaching extreme old age. At the same time, it is likely that life expectancies at birth will continue to rise, taking life expectancy at birth in England and Wales to 100 years or more by the end of the 21st century. The new 21st century demography of death will lead to annual numbers of deaths far in excess of previous maxima.

scholarly journals The potential role of safari hunting as a source of revenue for protected areas in the Congo Basin

Oryx ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Wilkie ◽  
Julia F. Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Congo Basin ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Expected Returns ◽  
Natural State ◽  
Opportunity Costs ◽  
Area Network ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan

AbstractIn sub-Saharan Africa conservation of biodiversity is increasingly predicated on finding ways to ensure that the economic value of maintaining a landscape in its ‘natural’ state meets or exceeds the expected returns from converting the area to an alternative land use, such as agriculture. ‘Wildlands’ in Africa must generate, directly or from donor contributions, funds sufficient to cover both the operating costs of conservation, and the opportunity costs of forgoing other forms of resource use. Government and donor investments currently meet less than 30 per cent of the estimated recurring costs required to manage the protected-area network within central African countries effectively, and cover none of the growing opportunity costs incurred to maintain protected areas. Unfortunately, few additional sources of funding are available.

scholarly journals Gorillas in the midst: the impact of armed conflict on the conservation of protected areas in sub-Saharan Africa

Oryx ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Glew ◽  
M.D. Hudson
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Deterministic Model ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Resource Exploitation ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Joint Consideration ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe frequently anecdotal nature of evidence concerning the impact of warfare on conservation poses numerous problems and there have been calls to apply a strict set of conditions to such data to improve the rigor of scientific analysis in this field. To illustrate the difficulties, however, of applying strict quantitative conditions on such data a deterministic model of conflict-linked deforestation in sub-Saharan Africa was constructed and the implications of the model discussed. Our model indicates that from 1990–2005 approximately 35,000 ha of timber have been used to support officially recorded UN refugees in this region: this is a continuing impact, albeit quantified using data with some potential error. An alternative semi-quantitative approach was also used, with reported environmental impacts of conflict assessed for reliability and severity using a number of empirical criteria. Data focusing on the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda were subsequently analysed using this framework. Illegal resource exploitation was identified as the primary impact resulting from conflict and, in some instances, a driver of the hostilities. From the joint consideration of the conflict and post-conflict phases such exploitation is concluded to be the product of lawlessness and anarchy generated by violent uprisings rather than violence per se. As such, armed conflict does not pose a novel threat to protected areas but rather amplifies threats extant during peace, creating a need for appropriate responses by those involved in conservation management. With both the occurrence and violence of conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa increasing, the impacts of warfare are pertinent to both the immediate and long-term management of biological resources in the region.

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