Protected Area Land Research Articles

Economic stimulation of rational use of land in protected areas

An analysis of the use of agricultural land has now shown that a large amount of land is being transferred for non-agricultural needs, including for the construction and operation of engineering communications. Thus, restrictions on the use of land are established in security zones along high-voltage
 power lines, communication lines, protective zones of trunk pipelines, sanitary protection and other
 zones along highways, in territories adjacent to industrial enterprises, in coastal strips and water protection zones of rivers that are located on the lands of rural producers. The article presents classifications of protected zones. The damage resulting from the placement of high-voltage power lines is shown. In order to improve the condition of the land, it is necessary to introduce an economic incentive mechanism, as a result of which it is necessary to fully compensate landowners for losses and
 losses.

Changing Livelihood Strategies in a Conservation Area: Fishers, Farmers, and Sand Mining in Merauke, Indonesia

The Wasur National Park (WNP) includes the Ramsar Site, an important area for global conservation efforts in wetlands. This coastal area also supports the socio-economic activities of local and non-local communities who are highly dependent on natural resources. Conservation efforts in the area are sometimes at odds with the sustainability of local livelihoods and poverty alleviation initiatives for the community. The aim of this study is to describe the sources of community livelihoods in the Wasur Naukenjerai National Park area, specifically around agricultural, fisheries, and sand mining dynamics. Using a qualitative research design, this study uses a field survey to collect primary data sourced from key informants with in-depth interviews from 15 community respondents in three sample villages on the coast, and seven key informants from relevant government agencies. The results show that the main livelihood source for people in the protected area are as fishermen and farmers. Sand mining has emerged as an alternative source of livelihood but has caused degradation of beaches and land in the Wasur National Park area. In addition, there are activities of buying and selling agricultural land in protected areas. The protection of the rights of the community in the area and government support programs have been unable to guarantee the welfare of the community. For this reason, it is necessary to strengthen and further support local institutions livelihoods to ensure the sustainability of Wasur National Park area management.

What drives modern protected area establishment in Australia?

AbstractProtected areas are a fundamental mechanism for ensuring the persistence of biodiversity. The strategic policy objectives set by governments for protected area land acquisition are strong determinants of biodiversity outcomes. An examination of these objectives is necessary to determine those most influential in designing protected area networks and understand why Australia's extinction rates exceed those elsewhere despite actively establishing protected areas over the past several decades. To examine spatio‐temporal trends in policy objectives for protected areas, we evaluated the strategic priorities in Federal, State, and Territory policy documents across Australia between 1992 and 2019 using thematic analysis. We classified priorities into seven themes: adequacy, Indigenous and cultural values; representation of ecosystem and species types; threatened species and their habitat;socialand recreational values;uniquevalues andavoiding threatening processes. We found that the representation of ecosystem and species types was the most prevalent theme in policy documents, and the least common theme wassocialand recreational values. We posit several reasons for this trend and warn that emphasizing extent, in terms of area or representativeness, may diminish the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact for biodiversity outcomes. We found that policies were generally supportive of the strategic identification of particular species or communities that would quantifiably benefit from protection (referred to asavoided loss). Risked‐based approaches to the establishment of protected areas are supported by modern conservation literature to enhance the protected area network's effectiveness. To maximize limited resources, we recommend that governments continue encouraging urgency to avoid species and habitat loss in their strategic priorities. This urgency should be accompanied by clear and consistent funding for on‐the‐ground actions which facilitate the socio‐ecological outcomes that characterize modern protected area policy.

Features of the Legal Regime of the Land Plots within the Boundaries of Protected Areas of Specially Protected Natural Territories

Introduction. This article is devoted to the analysis of the peculiarities of the legal regime of land plots within the boundaries of protected zones of specially protected natural territories. Due to their special significance and uniqueness, specially protected natural territories form the nature reserve fund of the Russian Federation with a special mechanism for protection and protection from negative anthropogenic impact. Protected areas are one of the measures to protect such specially protected natural areas as state nature reserves, national parks, natural parks and natural monuments, as well as one of the most important elements of the legal regime of lands of specially protected natural areas. The creation of data on specially protected natural areas, as a rule, is followed by the subsequent approval of the regulations on their protected zones. Since the legislation does not have peremptory norms on the mandatory creation of protection zones, such zones are not widespread at the federal and regional levels. Theoretical Basis. Methods. An important role in the process of studying the peculiarities of the legal regime of land plots within the boundaries of specially protected natural territories was played by systematic, comparative, formal-legal methods. Results. The features of the establishment, modification and termination of the protection zones of specially protected natural areas, as well as the features of coordination of their borders and the entry of information into cadasters and registers are considered. Based on a comprehensive analysis of judicial practice, conclusions are drawn about the need to improve the mechanism for determining the feasibility of economic activity on land in protected areas. Particular attention is paid to the characteristics of the legislation of the Russian Federation and the legislation of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation on protected areas of specially protected natural territories of federal and regional significance and the legal regime of land plots within their borders. Discussion and Conclusion. This study showed that the establishment of protected areas of specially protected natural areas significantly affects the legal regime of land within their borders. Despite the fact that the turnover of these land plots is not limited, they are not withdrawn or redeemed from private property, individually defined characteristics are not significantly changed, but at the same time restrictions are set on the possibility of carrying out economic and other activities, the need for additional coordination with state bodies authorities order to carry out such activities on land. Changes associated with the establishment of protective zones entail a change in the cadastral and market value of land, and as a result, the right of land owners to demand compensation from state authorities for civil and land laws.

Cultural landscapes and attributes of “culturalness” in protected areas: An exploratory assessment in Greece

Cultural landscapes are poorly inventoried and evaluated in protected natural areas. This study presents a novel procedure to assess cultural landscape features and their cultural values in the major protected areas of Greece. After identifying a set of culturally modified land cover types and habitat types the GIS-based survey of the entire Natura 2000 protected area network in Greece (419 sites) shows that roughly 67% of protected area land cover consists of cultural landscape features. This was corroborated by the distribution of culturally modified habitat types which take up approximately 50% of the areal cover in a subset of the nation's Natura 2000 network (241 Special Areas for Conservation). Moreover, a set of 12 cultural attributes involving cultural heritage values, traditional land uses and aesthetic quality indicators were scored to assess these “cultural values” in each site. Gradient maps were produced to express an initial nation-wide site ranking profile. Heatmaps help link instead of solely rank culturally valuable sites that are in proximity to each other, showcasing site clusters of outstanding value. These analyses help define the level of “culturalness” of each site based on human-modified landscape and habitat types and provide a baseline review of cultural values in protected natural areas. This screening-level survey identifies the protected areas that may require special attention for managing cultural elements-of-diversity. Difficulties with data availability and uncertainties are reviewed. This procedure supports a paradigm shift that promotes a more holistic evaluation and management of biodiversity-centered protected areas, where until recently cultural landscapes were rarely appreciated.

Inequality, democracy, and the environment: A cross-national analysis

This paper joins the debate on the relationship between inequality and the environment. Departing from the past contributions, which focused either on the theories of environmental behavior or on economic interests, this paper develops arguments about “political choice” mechanisms that help explain the linkages between inequality and national policymaking related to the establishment of protected areas. A cross-national analysis of the interactions between inequality, democracy and the legal designation of protected areas in a global sample of 137 countries shows that, ceteris paribus, the effects of inequality vary depending on the strength of democracy: in relatively democratic countries inequality is associated with less land in protected areas, whereas in relatively undemocratic countries the reverse is true. The highly significant effects of inequality undermine the democratic dividend in the arena of nature conservation.

Will up-scaled forest conservation incentives in the Peruvian Amazon produce cost-effective and equitable outcomes?

SUMMARYDeforestation and forest degradation in the Peruvian Amazon represent a major threat to biodiversity-related ecosystem services and the global climate. In 2010, the Peruvian Ministry of Environment launched the National Forest Conservation Program for Climate Change Mitigation, an innovative approach to maintaining forest cover of over 54 million hectares of land in protected areas and indigenous and peasant communities. A key component is a payments for environmental services scheme encouraging investments in sustainable land and forest uses in community-controlled territories. We conducted an ex-ante assessment of how the program would play out in terms of conservation cost–effectiveness, income effects and distributional (equity) outcomes if payments were up-scaled, as intended, to all native communities in the Peruvian Amazon. Our spatially explicit impact assessment relied on remotely sensed deforestation data and field data-supported estimates of conservation opportunity costs. We found that the spatially heterogeneous distribution of forestland and economic returns to multiple land uses across communities results in important tradeoffs between hypothetical cost–effectiveness, poverty alleviation and equity outcomes. Nevertheless, our scenario analyses suggested that alternative design options for payment schemes could improve both cost–effectiveness and equity outcomes simultaneously.

Philippine protected areas are not meeting the biodiversity coverage and management effectiveness requirements of Aichi Target 11.

Aichi Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity urges, inter alia, that nations protect at least 17 % of their land, and that protection is effective and targets areas of importance for biodiversity. Five years before reporting on Aichi targets is due, we assessed the Philippines' current protected area system for biodiversity coverage, appropriateness of management regimes and capacity to deliver protection. Although protected estate already covers 11 % of the Philippines' land area, 64 % of its key biodiversity areas (KBAs) remain unprotected. Few protected areas have appropriate management and governance infrastructures, funding streams, management plans and capacity, and a serious mismatch exists between protected area land zonation regimes and conservation needs of key species. For the Philippines to meet the biodiversity coverage and management effectiveness elements of Aichi Target 11, protected area and KBA boundaries should be aligned, management systems reformed to pursue biodiversity-led targets and effective management capacity created.

Compliance of land cover changes with municipal land use planning: Evidence from the Lisbon metropolitan region (1990–2007)

In the past few decades, urbanisation has become a major phenomenon in European cities, thus representing one of the key human land cover changes with socio-economic and environmental impacts. In the Lisbon metropolitan region it is estimated that 17% of natural and farmland have been transformed into artificial areas. Since the end of 1990s, specific EU guidelines have been issued to contain urban sprawl and preserve agricultural land. Spatial planning in Portugal obviously is integrating these assumptions into the statutory land-use master plans. But what is the performance of this land use planning system regarding land cover evolution itself? Based on the Lisbon metropolitan region (LMR), one of the major areas of urban growth in Portugal, we examine spatio-temporal land cover patterns between 1990 and 2007 by integrating cross-matrix analysis, spatial metrics, and gradient analysis. Additionally, we overlay these land cover dynamics with municipal master plans that regulate land development in order to assess the compliance levels of this land-use regulatory system. Results indicate that: artificial areas are growing by coalescence and/or by scattered development along an urban–rural gradient; agricultural land is reducing and fragmentation is increasing to enlarge peri-urban spaces; there are high levels of conversion of agricultural land into urban land in protected areas, thus showing a lack of compliance to the land use regulatory system visible in the existing gaps between the original land-use assignments of the master plan and the actual developments.

FEATURES DELINEATION AND USE OF SPECIALLY PROTECTED THE CASPIAN LOWLAND THE REPUBLIC OF DAGHESTAN

Questions of delimitation of state property on specially protected areas land of the Caspian lowland in Daghestan need further study. It is Requires the definition of the status of land of recreational zones of the coast of the Caspian sea, including coastal and border strips, legal and logical resolution of the millet for the management of these lands as Federal property. It is Necessary to accelerate the work on the delimitation of the remaining areas of land in this zone, to take inventory, to put these lands on cadastral registration and to sign lease agreements with businesses on these lands.

Land Development in and around Protected Areas at the Wilderness Frontier

Protected areas' chief conservation objectives are to include species within their boundaries and protect them from negative external pressures. Many protected areas are not achieving these goals, perhaps in part due to land development inside and outside protected areas. We conducted spatial analyses to evaluate the ability of Canadian protected areas to mitigate the effects of nearby land development. We investigated correlations of national patterns of land development in and around protected areas and then examined national patterns of roads, urban area, and croplands in protected areas. We calculated the amount of developed land in protected areas and within 25-100 km of protected-area borders, the density of roads, and extent of urban and cropland area in protected areas. We constructed logistic-regression models to test whether development in a protected area was associated with landscape and protected-area characteristics. Land development was far less extensive inside than outside protected areas. However, several protected areas, particularly small southern areas near small urban centers had substantial development inside their boundaries, and nearly half of protected areas had roads. The cumulative extent of development within 50 km of protected areas was the best predictor of the probability of land development in protected areas. Canadian First Nations, industries, government, and nongovernmental organizations are currently planning an unprecedented number of new protected areas. Careful management of areas beyond protected-area boundaries may prove critical to meeting their long-term conservation objectives.

Developing a Resilient Co-Management Arrangement for Protected Areas: Field Experience From the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor in Madagascar

In 2003 Madagascar committed to tripling its land in protected areas to conserve its unique biodiversity and essential ecosystem services. Implementing this commitment involved creating a new legal framework, selecting sites, establishing resource use rules, and developing governance arrangements. The Ankeniheny-Zahemana Corridor (CAZ) is among the most advanced in its establishment as a protected area with a co-management governance arrangement. Through literature review, we identified nine elements of good governance: clear resource governance goal, coherent institutional structure, clear rules, participation, transparency, monitoring, enforcement, equity, and transfer of authority. We analyzed the CAZ co-management system to explore the possibilities for improved governance at CAZ. Although the CAZ governance structure was not designed to address the nine theoretical elements of good governance, we found that it has emerged to respond to several of them. Additional research is needed to assess how to make changes that might improve governance based on these elements.

U.S., Canada Blasted For Excess Energy Use

Supporting high standards of living in the U.S. and Canada uses up a disproportionate share of the world's natural resources and contributes to global climate change, concludes a report from the United Nations Environment Program. The two countries, with about 5% of the world's population, are responsible for 25.8% of global CO 2 emissions, according to the report. The report, North America's Environment: Thirty-Year State of the Environment and Policy Retrospective, says citizens in the two countries have a per-capita gasoline consumption that is nine times the global average. The U.S. and Canada have had notable success in a number of environmental areas, the report says. They have protected the ozone layer. They have controlled SO 2 emissions. They have set aside 11 to 13% of the region's land in protected areas. They have slowed wetland losses, stemmed emissions from point sources, and reduced pollution in the Great Lakes. But improvements have slowed, the report says. Energy ...

Delineating protected wildlife corridors with multi‐objective programming

Protected wildlife corridors can help counteract habitat fragmentation and link isolated reserve “islands” into connected reserve systems. The need for wildlife corridors will grow as expanding human populations place increasing pressure on remaining undeveloped land. A two‐objective zero–one programming model is formulated for the problem of selecting land for a system of wildlife corridors that must connect a known set of existing reserves or critical habitat areas. This problem is modeled as a network Steiner tree problem, under the objectives of minimizing corridor land costs and minimizing the amount of unsuitable land within the corridor system. Linear programming is used to find exact solutions with little or no branching and bounding, and the multi‐objective weighting method is used to generate non‐inferior alternatives. Two hypothetical examples demonstrate the model and solution procedure. Results can help inform planning and decision making for protected area land acquisition and habitat restoration.