Uncertain future of protected land and water
Protected areas are intended to safeguard biodiversity in perpetuity, yet evidence suggests that widespread legal changes undermine protected area durability and efficacy. We documented these legal changes—protected area downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement (PADDD) events—in the United States and Amazonian countries and compiled available data globally. Governments of the United States and Amazonian countries enacted 269 and 440 PADDD events, respectively. Between 1892 and 2018, 73 countries enacted 3749 PADDD events, removing 519,857 square kilometers from protection and tempering regulations in an additional 1,659,972 square kilometers; 78% of events were enacted since 2000. Most PADDD events (62%) are associated with industrial-scale resource extraction and development, suggesting that PADDD may compromise biodiversity conservation objectives. Strategic policy responses are needed to address PADDD and sustain effective protected areas.
| By Rachel E. Golden Kroner, et al. |
May 31st, 2019 |
Losing ground in protected areas?
After 30 years of rapid growth in terrestrial protected areas, especially in the biodiverse tropics, expansion has slowed despite the ongoing mass extinction of species. Indeed, on page 881 of this issue, Kroner et al. (1) report that in some regions, the area that is protected is declining. They document examples of protected areas that have been made smaller or degazetted entirely, including in the United States and the Amazon. Taken together, these findings suggest a troubling trend; there are few wild spaces left to offset these losses with new parks, and biodiversity itself is irreplaceable. Even more common than erasing or shrinking parks are cases where the rules are loosened to allow resource use in areas that were previously strictly protected (1). Understanding the impacts of these “downgrades” requires reexamining the goals of protected areas and recognizing the gap between the official rules and actual management.
| By Lisa Naughton-Treves, et al. |
May 31st, 2019 |
