Widespread shortfalls in protected area resourcing undermine efforts to conserve biodiversity

Abstract

Protected areas (PAs) are a key tool in efforts to safeguard biodiversity against increasing anthropogenic threats. As signatories to the 2011–2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, 196 nations pledged support for expansion in the extent of the global PA estate and the quality of PA management. While this has resulted in substantial increases in PA designations, many sites lack the resources needed to guarantee effective biodiversity conservation. Using management reports from 2167 PAs (with an area representing 23% of the global terrestrial PA estate), we demonstrate that less than a quarter of these PAs report having adequate resources in terms of staffing and budget. Using data on the geographic ranges of the 11,919 terrestrial vertebrate species overlapping our sample of PAs, we estimate that only 4–9% of terrestrial amphibians, birds, and mammals are sufficiently represented within the existing global PA estate, when only adequately resourced PAs are considered. While continued expansion of the world's PAs is necessary, a shift in emphasis from quantity to quality is critical to effectively respond to the current biodiversity crisis.

Conservation beyond protected areas: Using vertebrate species ranges and biodiversity importance scores to inform policy for an east African country in transition

“…Similar requirements for policy reform and implementation have been identified on other continents (Boakes, Fuller, & McGowan, 2018;Zisenis, 2017). Our analysis of species range data displays a similar result to an analysis of range data within the global PA estate (Coad et al, 2019), and for a regional analysis of endemic species coverage (Riggio et al, 2019).…”

“…Only 16% of amphibian, 45% of bird, and 41% of mammal species meet their representation targets in terms of the percentage of their scale‐adjusted range overlapping national PAs and conservancies (Butchart et al, ; Coad et al, ), being the two LU categories covered by the current wildlife policy (Figure ). Those percentages are likely over‐estimates, given the inadequate resourcing of many PAs and newly established conservancies (Coad et al, ). Additionally, PAs fail to protect 80 species that have no range within PAs and many face immediate threats to their survival: one of these is critically endangered (Taita warty frog, Callulina dawida ), seven are endangered, two are vulnerable, and five are near threatened (Supporting Information).…”

“…Only 16% of amphibian, 45% of bird, and 41% of mammal species meet their representation targets in terms of the percentage of their scale-adjusted range overlapping national PAs and conservancies (Butchart et al, 2015;Coad et al, 2019), being the two LU categories covered by the current wildlife policy ( Figure 5). Those percentages are likely over-estimates, given the inadequate resourcing of many PAs and newly established conservancies (Coad et al, 2019). Additionally, PAs fail to protect 80 species that have no range…”

“…Inadequate Adequate F I G U R E 5 The proportion of species per vertebrate class that meet their representation targets (Butchart et al, 2015;Coad et al, 2019) in terms of PA coverage in Kenya, with PA in this analysis being national protected areas and conservancies within PAs and many face immediate threats to their survival: one of these is critically endangered (Taita warty frog, Callulina dawida), seven are endangered, two are vulnerable, and five are near threatened (Supporting Information).…”

Only ten percent of the global terrestrial protected area network is connected via intact land

“…Crucially, the Strategic Plan stipulates that PA networks must be 5 well-connected, effectively and equitably managed, and also cover ecologically representative areas of particular importance for biodiversity (2). Due to their extraordinary importance for biodiversity outcomes, PAs have received substantial research attention in global conservation policy discussions, with recent assessments focusing on how well they are representing species (3), their overall management effectiveness (4), and how well are they abating key threatening 10 processes (5). Yet, to date, reporting has been almost completely blind to how well connected the expanding global PA estate is, with the only substantive research considering connectivity solely through protected land (6), disregarding the condition of the wider landscape context.…”