Blog originally posted in December 2012 at Imperial College Conservation Science
Protected areas (PAs) are often described as a key tool in conservation to ensure species survival, providing safe spots where they can persist while threats are present or imminent in other areas of their range. Broad in their definition and categories, PAs may range from a strictly protected national park to areas where resource use is incentivized, if considered sustainable. But are they effectively achieving their goals? This was the theme of a ZSL symposium on “Protected areas – are they safeguarding biodiversity?” I attended earlier this month. 22 speakers reported recent findings and ongoing work on PAs, from their planning, design and monitoring to connectivity, functionality and financing. And the answer seems to be “Yes!”… but we still need to better understand under which conditions, suggesting a lot of unrealized potential.
Protected areas (PAs) are often described as a key tool in conservation to ensure species survival, providing safe spots where they can persist while threats are present or imminent in other areas of their range. Broad in their definition and categories, PAs may range from a strictly protected national park to areas where resource use is incentivized, if considered sustainable. But are they effectively achieving their goals? This was the theme of a ZSL symposium on “Protected areas – are they safeguarding biodiversity?” I attended earlier this month. 22 speakers reported recent findings and ongoing work on PAs, from their planning, design and monitoring to connectivity, functionality and financing. And the answer seems to be “Yes!”… but we still need to better understand under which conditions, suggesting a lot of unrealized potential.
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