Global trends in protected area connectivity from 2010 to 2018
Santiago Saura1, Bastian Bertzky1, Lucy Bastin1
1European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy.
Biological Conservation
|December 31, 2019
Summary
Protected area connectivity increased globally from 6.5% to 7.7% between 2010 and 2018. However, progress has slowed, raising concerns about meeting 2020 biodiversity targets and highlighting the need for improved protected area (PA) network design.
Area of Science:
- Conservation Science
- Biodiversity
- Ecosystem Services
Background:
- Protected areas (PAs) are crucial for biodiversity persistence and ecosystem service delivery.
- Aichi Target 11 aimed for 17% of global land to be covered by well-connected PA systems by 2020.
- Assessing PA connectivity trends is vital for evaluating progress towards conservation goals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To globally assess trends in terrestrial PA connectivity from 2010 to 2018.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of PA network design in supporting connectivity using the ProtConn indicator.
- To identify regional differences and factors influencing PA connectivity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the ProtConn indicator to quantify terrestrial PA connectivity across all countries.
- Analyzed connectivity trends biennially from 2010 to 2018.
- Compared the rate of increase in protected connected land (ProtConn) with overall PA coverage.
Main Results:
- Global ProtConn increased from 6.5% in 2010 to 7.7% in 2018.
- Oceania showed the largest recent increase in PA connectivity; Asia was the only continent with a decrease.
- The relative increase in ProtConn outpaced PA coverage growth, indicating improved PA network design in many regions.
Conclusions:
- While global PA connectivity has improved, the recent slowdown (2016-2018) jeopardizes the 2020 targets.
- Connectivity increasingly relies on the permeability of surrounding landscapes and coordinated management of adjacent/transboundary PAs.
- Significant further action is needed, including PA network expansion, to achieve global connectivity goals.
Related Concept Videos
01:50Threats to Biodiversity
26.4K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
26.4K
02:07Conservation of Declining Populations
12.5K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
12.5K
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
20.8K
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
20.8K
01:50Global Climate Change
28.4K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
28.4K
02:04Conservation of Small Populations
16.5K
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...
16.5K
01:57What is Conservation Biology?
23.9K
Conservation biology is a scientific field that focuses on the preservation of biodiversity in order to protect ecosystems while meeting the needs of the human population. Humans require properly functioning ecosystems to maintain our supply of natural resources, including food, medicines, and building materials.
23.9K