Understanding protected area resilience: a multi-scale, social-ecological approach

Area of Science:

• Conservation Science
• Ecology
• Environmental Management

Background:

• Protected areas (PAs) are crucial for biodiversity conservation but are increasingly impacted by global environmental change and human activities.
• PAs can no longer be viewed as isolated ecological islands due to interconnected social-ecological systems.
• Resilience in PAs requires adaptation to evolving social and ecological conditions for long-term persistence of conservation targets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend Ostrom's social-ecological systems framework to analyze the long-term persistence of PAs.
• To highlight cross-scale influences and feedbacks affecting PAs from local to global levels.
• To contextualize PAs within multi-scale social-ecological functional landscapes for effective management.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual framework extension based on Ostrom's social-ecological systems model.
• Analysis of cross-scale influences and feedbacks on PAs.
• Illustration using three case studies examining PA functioning and regional resilience.

Main Results:

• PAs are embedded within social-ecological systems with significant cross-scale feedbacks.
• Functional landscapes integrating PAs are essential for understanding and managing them sustainably.
• Case studies demonstrate complex social-ecological interactions affecting PA resilience.

Conclusions:

• Ecological, economic, and social processes influence PAs at finer scales.
• Broader scale processes, primarily social and economic, are dominant in shaping PA resilience.
• Integrating PAs into multi-scale social-ecological functional landscapes is vital for adaptive management and conservation success.