Ecosystem services modelling to analyse the isolation of protected areas from a social-ecological perspective

Biodiversity loss continues to increase globally despite conservation strategies such as the designation of protected areas and the implementation of environmental management practices. Land use changes often exacerbate the spatial isolation of protected areas, undermining their biodiversity conservation goals and the provision of ecosystem services. To address this issue, the present study investigates how a social-ecological approach, incorporating ecosystem services modelling, can address protected areas isolation and enhance habitat connectivity, using Egmont National Park in Aotearoa New Zealand as a case study. The analysis focuses on five ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, habitat quality, timber production, pasture production, and outdoor recreation. Findings highlight significant synergies and trade-offs, particularly between regulating services within the park and provisioning services in the surrounding grasslands, revealing critical social-ecological conflicts. In particular, the contrast between the indigenous forest within the park, which supports high habitat quality and carbon storage, and the surrounding grasslands, which are highly productive for pasture, underscores the challenges of balancing conservation goals with agricultural activities. This study develops social-ecological units to inform integrated environmental management strategies, aiming to reduce isolation, improve connectivity, and align biodiversity conservation with human well-being. These findings provide actionable insights for shifting trade-offs to synergies and supporting sustainable management practices.