Bioscientists argue in a new study that protecting areas that are already protected by law or by local communities is just as important to protecting biodiversity as creating new protected areas.
The examination group, which included researchers from Durham College, the Public College of Singapore (NUS), and Princeton College, viewed that around 70% of the about 5,000 species dissected either have no clear portrayal in safeguarded regions, happen in safeguarded regions that have been minimized, scaled down, or degazetted, or would be particularly defenseless against termination from future land-use change.
However, the essential habitats of 1,191 animal species that are particularly at risk of extinction can be protected by enhancing the protection of existing protected areas and expanding existing park networks across just 1% of the planet’s land area.
“This study establishes a geography of arks: where new parks can be created, as well as where existing parks can be restored and strengthened to improve wildlife conservation.”
Dr. Zeng Yiwen of NUS, Lead author of the study,
The study was published in the Science Advances journal.
If there is insufficient enforcement or a lack of political support for wildlife conservation, protected areas may be susceptible to harmful human activities.
Downgrading, downsizing, or degazettement (PADDD) events are when a government decides to roll back the legal protections governing a park, reducing the degree or extent of protection afforded to it. These events make parks less effective at protecting species.
The loss or degradation of habitats and forest clearing for infrastructure expansion, mining, or other activities could be the result of these changes. According to the findings of the researchers, PADDD events are known to have affected over 278 million hectares of parks cumulatively as of 2021.
For instance, the critically endangered Megophrys damrei frog can only be found in Cambodia and nowhere else in the world. Even though the area’s habitat is protected, habitat loss and degradation continue within the national park boundaries and in the surroundings.
Additionally, species whose current habitats lack adequate protection may benefit from expanding the network of protected areas. For instance, the study found that 53 species with limited habitat and no protected area coverage would be protected if an additional 330 square kilometers of natural landscapes in Indonesia were protected.
For instance, the Sangihe brilliant bulbul is a basically imperiled lark animal category found exclusively on Sangihe Island in Indonesia and no place else on the planet. The species’ total population is estimated to be between 50 and 230 individuals at one unprotected location. The fact that plantations do not contain this species suggests that it is a delicate species that can only flourish in healthy forests and would benefit from increased conservation efforts.
Thinking about the exploration discoveries, Dr. Rebecca Senior of Durham College said, “There are numerous superb models in the preservation of individuals battling to safeguard species, but there is consistently a gamble that when you take your eye off the ball, pressure constructs, and hard-won security is lost.
“Assigning parks on paper isn’t sufficient; they need to be last and in the right places with the right management.”
Dr. Zeng Yiwen of NUS, the study’s lead author, stated, “This study establishes a geography of arks: where new parks can be built and where existing parks can be restored and strengthened to promote wildlife conservation.”
“The need to establish new protected areas is at the center of many global conservation discussions. These include talks at the COP15 biodiversity conference in December 2022 at the United Nations, where a goal of protecting 30% of the planet’s lands and seas was agreed upon. However, our research also demonstrates the significance of maintaining protected areas’ ability to deter harmful human activity.”
The need to establish new protected areas to preserve the planet’s biodiversity is becoming increasingly recognized, which is reflected in the new study’s findings. For instance, nations had agreed to designate 30% of the planet’s lands and seas as protected areas at the United Nations biodiversity conference COP15 in December 2022.
The most recent examination reveals insight into one more significant part of untamed life preservation: guaranteeing that generally safeguarded regions, or parks, keep on remaining a place of refuge for biodiversity.
More information: Yiwen Zeng et al, Gaps and weaknesses in the global protected area network for safeguarding at-risk species, Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg0288. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg0288
