Restoration priorities to achieve the global protected area target

Vanessa M. Adams,Moreno Di Marco,Bonnie Mappin,Benjamin S. Halpern,James E.M. Watson,Oscar Venter,Alienor L.M. Chauvenet,Hugh P. Possingham,Hawthorne L. Beyer

doi:10.1111/conl.12646

Abstract

AbstractWith much of Earth's surface already heavily impacted by humans, there is a need to understand where restoration is required to achieve global conservation goals. Here, we show that at least 1.9 million km2 of land, spanning 190 (27%) terrestrial ecoregions and 114 countries, needs restoration to achieve the current 17% global protected area target (Aichi Target 11). Restoration targeted on lightly modified land could recover up to two‐thirds of the shortfall, which would have an opportunity cost impact on agriculture of at least $205 million per annum (average of $159/km2). However, 64 (9%) ecoregions, located predominately in Southeast Asia, will require the challenging task of restoring areas that are already heavily modified. These results highlight the need for global conservation strategies to recognize the current level of anthropogenic degradation across many ecoregions and balance bigger protected area targets with more specific restoration goals.

Highlights

To address the ongoing decline in biodiversity, the United Nation's Strategic Plan for Biodiversity defined a set of targets to be met by 2020 (UN CBD, 2010)
Even if all remaining suitable land is protected, we show that 190 ecoregions across 114 nations will not meet the 17% target and, as such, there is a need for urgent targeted restoration
More aggressive and ambitious approaches to restoration and protected area establishment are needed in those ecoregions that our analysis identifies as having a shortfall of suitable land (Figure 1, ecoregions colored orange, red, and dark red)

Summary

Introduction

Under Aichi Target 11, signatory nations agreed that 17% of terrestrial environments “especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas” (United Nations, 2013). This target sets a minimum standard that all signatory nations agree to for the conservation of biodiversity. While the overall area placed under formal protection has significantly increased since the Convention on Biological Diversity was first signed in 1992 (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN, 2016), human populations and national economies have continued to grow, expanding their extraction of natural resources (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005; Steffen, Broadgate, Deutsch, Gaffney, & Ludwig, 2015) and further converting intact land to human uses (Venter et al, 2016a). It remains unclear to what extent and where restoration is required to meet Aichi Target 11

Methods

Results

Conclusion