Dynamics in the global protected-area estate since 2004.

Area of Science:

• Conservation Science
• Environmental Management
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Background:

• Protected areas are crucial for global environmental goals and conservation efforts.
• The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) tracks progress but its current method oversimplifies changes over time.
• Previous assessments using the latest WDPA data do not capture the dynamic nature of protected area designations and removals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the dynamic changes in protected areas over time using historical WDPA data.
• To quantify the annual areas added to and removed from the WDPA from 2004 to 2016.
• To provide a more nuanced understanding beyond simple narratives of protected area growth or decline.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools for spatial analysis.
• Analyzed 12 temporally distinct versions of the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) from 2004 to 2016.
• Quantified annual additions and removals of protected areas within the WDPA.

Main Results:

• On average, 2.5 million km² were added and 1.1 million km² were removed from the WDPA annually between 2004 and 2016.
• Protected area growth was predominantly in the marine realm, and some removed areas were later re-protected.
• Reasons for WDPA inclusion/removal included data quality issues and actual on-the-ground changes.

Conclusions:

• The narrative of continuous protected area growth is an oversimplification, as is the narrative of removal.
• Achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 (17% protected areas by 2020) requires addressing both the rate of protected area removal and designation.
• Future conservation strategies must account for the dynamic nature of protected areas to meet global targets.