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A forest loss report card for the world's protected areas
Christopher Wolf1, Taal Levi2, William J Ripple3
1Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA. wolfch@oregonstate.edu.
Nature Ecology & Evolution
|February 12, 2021
Summary
Protected areas reduce deforestation by 41%, but their effectiveness varies globally. Current protected forest coverage is only 6.5%, falling short of international conservation targets.
Area of Science:
- Conservation Science
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Protected areas are crucial for conserving biodiversity and carbon stocks.
- Global assessments are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of protected areas in reducing deforestation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To globally assess the effectiveness of terrestrial protected areas in reducing deforestation.
- To evaluate forest protection levels considering both spatial extent and effectiveness.
- To compare current protection levels against the Aichi Convention's 2020 Target.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed data from over 18,000 terrestrial protected areas globally.
- Quantified deforestation rates within protected areas versus unprotected areas.
- Developed indices for forest protection considering area, effectiveness, species richness, carbon biomass, and background deforestation rates.
Main Results:
- Protected areas reduced deforestation rates by 41% overall.
- Effectiveness was highest in small reserves with low background deforestation rates.
- Adjusted for effectiveness, only 6.5% of global forests are protected, below the 17% Aichi Target.
Conclusions:
- Protected areas are effective but do not eliminate deforestation.
- Global protected area targets must incorporate effectiveness metrics alongside spatial extent.
- Current forest protection levels are insufficient to meet biodiversity and climate goals.
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