Protected Area Management Research Articles

Coordinated action across administration levels and assessments: key tools to reveal barriers to effective management of protected areas

We assessed protected area management effectiveness and identified attributes that limit the effectiveness of 21 protected areas in the State of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Of these, we assessed 10 areas under state-level administration for which a standardised assessment had not previously been conducted. For the 11 protected areas under federal administration, we obtained assessment data from the government. The protected areas were contrasted regarding the administration level and a list of attributes that could result in differences in management effectiveness between areas. We examined the relationship between protected areas' attributes and mean effectiveness using linear models. The same attributes were also related to management elements, namely context, planning, inputs, processes and outputs, using redundancy analysis. Management effectiveness and scores of management elements were found to be lower for areas either with unresolved land tenure, lacking management plans or updated ones, those under many pressures and threats, or those under state-level administration. Overall, we suggest that federal protected areas do better in at least these attributes or a combination of attributes not well-captured by single indicators than state-level protected areas. Reassessments should be regularly carried out across administration levels in order to effectively flag a barrier, clear it, and identify the next one to be tackled.

Impacts of Land use Land cover dynamics on Ecosystem services in maze national park and its environs, southwestern Ethiopia

This study investigated the impacts of LULC changes on selected ecosystem services in Maze National Park (MzNP) and its environs in southwestern Ethiopia. Landsat images from 1985, 2005, and 2020 were used to examine land use land cover (LULC) changes. Images were classified using the Random Forest (RF) classifier, and their accuracy was computed in QGIS. Ecosystem service values (ESVs) were then estimated using the benefit transfer method employing Ecosystem Service Valuation Database (ESVD) coefficients. Additionally, socioeconomic survey was conducted to understand the local community's perceptions regarding the dynamics of ecosystem services. The findings revealed a significant increase in croplands (103.7 %) and built-up areas (31.32 %), while riverine forests, water bodies, and wooded grasslands declined. The overall ESVs decreased by 20 %, from 2038.42 million USD in 1985 to 1628.72 million USD in 2020, mainly driven by reductions in riverine forests and wooded grasslands. As for the individual ESVs for the period 1985 to 2020, only food production increased by 0.7 million USD, while water supply, climate regulation, raw materials, and recreation and tourism declined by 180.35, 2.67, 45.72, and 481.62 million USD, respectively. The coefficient of sensitivity ranged from 0.01 to 0.94, <1, revealed that our estimates are relatively robust. Ecosystem services such as grazing, recreation, wild food, and firewood are highly valued by local residents, but they are declining over time due to environmental degradation and restrictions on access to the park. Thus, understanding LULC changes and their impacts on ESVs can help decision-makers design effective protected area management plans and reduce potential conflicts over resource uses. Further investigations are suggested to more accurately quantify ESVs using high resolution satellite imageries and different valuation methods.

Protected area influence over resident attitudes towards tourism in gateway communities

While there has been extensive research on resident sentiment towards tourism, few have explored the uniqueness of gateway communities and their relationship to the Protected Areas (PA) surrounding them. This study explores how resident trust of PA managers and support for PAs surrounding their community can spillover to explain additional variance in resident support or opposition to tourism. To test this, traditional antecedents to resident support for tourism, like psychological, social, and political empowerment and the economic benefits from tourism, were modeled independently and in tandem with trust in PA managers and resident support for PAAs. Results from 405 residents of Transylvania County, NC, USA show trust of Pisgah National Forest managers (β = 0.137, p = 0.001) and resident support for the PA influence their support for tourism (β = 0.257, p = 0.001) and explain an additional six percentage points in why residents support tourism within their gateway communities when included in the model. These findings suggest that when evaluating gateway communities’ support for tourism, it is prudent to also include resident perspectives of PAs and how they are managed as resident perspectives of the PA and its management can spillover to their attitudes towards tourism.

Context‐related mechanisms of policy sustainability: Governance reform of the protected areas in Lombardy

AbstractThe management of protected areas has been recognised as a particularly complex policy field, with many interacting actors and frequent conflicts. How policies survive potential or actual conflict is a matter of policy sustainability; policy manipulation can modify the roles and perceptions of policy actors to achieve outcomes closer to the desired ones—at least, desired by the enacting coalitions. The article investigates the governance reform of protected areas in Lombardy, Italy, focusing on the dynamics of policy sustainability amidst conflict and opposition. It examines how the Lombardy Region's 2016 reform aimed to consolidate the management of protected areas under the umbrella of regional park authorities. Despite the reform's ultimate goals appeared unquestioned, it encountered significant resistance from local administrations. The analysis focused on the context features (pre‐existence of local cooperation agreements, and salience of the protected area), and mechanisms (reputation, and loss aversion) in place at local level. Their combination appears able to explain the varied outcomes of the reform, ranging from failure to partial success.

Exploring Landscape Values and Willingness to Pay for Perceived Ecosystem Services: The Case of Malampaya Sound, a Socio-Ecological Production Landscape and Seascape

Since the 1990s, the Philippines has established numerous protected areas aimed at preserving regions with distinct biological and ecological characteristics. However, transitioning towards a more comprehensive approach to managing these protected areas, one that effectively conserves biodiversity while also supporting the welfare of local communities, remains a formidable task. Understanding the sources of the goods and services upon which communities rely, whether directly or indirectly, and their perceptions of ecosystem services (ESs) is a crucial aspect that can inform decision-making for both protected area managers and policymakers. This research specifically examines the mapping of landscape values as perceived by local communities within Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape and Seascape (MSPLS) in the Philippines. Using survey questionnaires administered to 114 randomly selected participants, the study identifies the ESs within MSPLS and maps the associated landscape values. The respondents were tasked with assigning values to the ESs using a typology of 14 landscape values, and their willingness to pay (WTP) to enhance the ESs within MSPLS was also investigated. Analysis of socio-demographic data, the identified ESs, and the perceived landscape values was conducted to uncover significant relationships between the variables. Our findings reveal that the respondents prioritize provisioning services, particularly fisheries, agriculture, and agroforestry. Regarding landscape value preferences, economic value is most prominently perceived (37.4%), followed by subsistence value (30.8%) and life-sustaining value (6.8%). This study further unveils the socio-economic factors influencing the ranking of ESs and trends in WTP for ES improvements in Malampaya. Additionally, a potential payment for ecosystem services scheme in MSPLS is estimated at PHP 532,000, approximately USD 10,600.

The role of environmental impact assessments in the establishment and management of marine protected areas under the UNCLOS and the BBNJ Agreement

AbstractThis article analyses the role of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) in establishing and managing marine protected areas (MPAs) in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Agreement under the UNCLOS on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). The analysis is conducted by discussing Articles 194 and 205–206 of the UNCLOS and Articles 27–28 and 30 of the BBNJ Agreement. It concludes that the interaction between EIA and MPAs in ABNJ is not only desirable but also critical for the success of MPAs. The BBNJ Agreement operationalises the role of EIAs in establishing and managing MPAs under the UNCLOS by (1) granting EIA an important role in assessing the susceptibility of an MPA to the impact of certain human activities and (2) factoring part of indicative criteria for identifying potential MPAs in the list of criteria to be considered for conducting EIA screening.

Using social media and machine learning to understand sentiments towards Brazilian National Parks

Protected areas (PAs) play a vital role in the conservation of natural and cultural heritage while supporting local livelihoods. However, in Brazil, where limited resources and poor effectiveness lead to negative sentiments and are leveraged as criticism towards PAs, it is necessary to better comprehend public perceptions of Brazilian PAs and identify the key factors contributing to negative sentiments. Here, we use data from online discussions about Brazilian national parks (NPs) on Twitter and sentiment analysis to explore this question. We classified the sentiment of ∼100,000 tweets collected over a twelve-year period (2011−2022) using the BERTimbau Base model. We also performed a topic modelling with the BERTopic model to identify prevalent subjects concerning Brazilian NPs. We identified 18,388 (17.30 %) posts expressing negative sentiment towards NPs, mostly associated with wildfires occurring between 2011 and 2017 and concerning government decisions impacting conservation efforts after 2019. The results revealed six prominent topics: (1) Wildfires; (2) Security; (3) Regulations; (4) Wildlife roadkill; (5) Privatization; (6) Lack of financial resources, reflecting a diverse range of negative sentiments regarding the parks, surpassing isolated events. Furthermore, examining specific topics on a per-park basis proved beneficial in identifying distinct issues and conflicts in the five most tweeted NPs, facilitating targeted conservation actions. Using social media data to better understand public perceptions of NPs can strengthen their management and governance by reinforcing their conservation initiatives and enhancing visitor experiences. Our findings underscore the value of sentiment analysis in identifying gaps and driving improvements in the management of protected areas.

Flying high for conservation: Opportunities and challenges of operating drones within the oldest National Park in the Alps

Abstract Drones have emerged as an essential tool in various conservation applications. Despite the great potential, drone use by protected area managers is still scarce or accompanied by scepticism. The ongoing debate revolves around whether drones are fancy gadgets or if they can effectively guide management strategies and align with the overarching goals of protected areas. Here, we present a practical overview of how novel drone applications contribute to the goals of the oldest national park in the Alps, along with the associated challenges. To do so, we review our seven‐year experience as park employees flying drones within the park and its surroundings. First, we provide background information receiving limited attention in the existing literature such as our motivation behind a drone purchase, costs and an overview of our flight operations. Second, we show three examples that demonstrate the potential of drones as a valuable tool in addressing the goals of the park: managing the area, researching natural processes and facilitating communication. Third, we reflect on operational challenges and provide valuable lessons for addressing the specific challenges of flying drones in an alpine and protected environment. Practical implication: Our experience supports the benefits of drones for protected area management, but it also highlights the need for certain precautions, increased focus on operational challenges and further research on wildlife‐drone interactions.

Preventing poaching in marine protected areas: A crime script analysis to inform interventions

Ubiquitous poaching poses a persistent challenge to marine protected areas (MPAs) management. The global consensus to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 has heightened the importance of effective MPA management. However, the law enforcement capacity for open-access common pool issues is frequently constrained. There remains an ongoing imperative to expand the knowledge on how to combat poaching. Drawing from environmental criminology approaches, this paper illustrates crime scripts of documented poaching cases in Taiwan's MPAs over the past decade to detail crime commission process and develops prevention strategies. We identify that poachers were often involved shore-based diving, shoreline handpicking and poaching by boats during clear summer evenings in easily accessible MPAs. To prevent marine poaching, suggested key interventions include managing access and exists, controlling fishing equipment, rationally deploying patrolling capacity and natural surveillance measures, creating traceable seafood supply chains, and increasing public vigilance and awareness. Environmental criminology approaches make poaching predictable and enable the precise allocation of law enforcement resources at a certain level. To further improve effectiveness of prevention strategies, we highlight the need to periodically review crime scripts and associated policies when new cases are identified. In addition, incorporating techniques from the best practices in MPA management into prevention strategies can also enhance the effectiveness of environmental criminology approaches in MPA poaching. This paper can inform the development of interventions and enhancing the management of MPAs toward global objectives.

Research alignment in the U.S. national park system: Impact of transformative science policy on the supply and demand for scientific knowledge for protected area management

The US National Park System encompasses diverse environmental and tourism management regimes, together governed by the 1916 Organic Act and its dual mandate of conservation and provision of public enjoyment. However, with the introduction of transformative science policy in the 2000's, the mission scope has since expanded to promote overarching science-based objectives. Yet despite this paradigm shift instituting “science for parks, parks for science”, there is scant research exploring the impact of the National Park Science Policy on the provision of knowledge. We address this gap by developing a spatiotemporal framework for evaluating research alignment, here operationalized via quantifiable measures of supply and demand for scientific knowledge. Specifically, we apply a machine learning algorithm (Latent Dirichlet analysis) to a comprehensive park-specific text corpus (combining official needs statements -i.e. demand- and scientific research metadata -i.e. supply-) to define a joint topic space, which thereby facilitates quantifying the direction and degree of alignment at multiple levels. Results indicate an overall robust degree of research alignment, with misaligned topics tending to be over-researched (as opposed to over-demanded), which may be favorable to many parks, but is inefficient from the park system perspective. Results further indicate that the transformative science policy exacerbated the misalignment in mandated research domains. In light of these results, we argue for improved decision support mechanisms to achieve more timely alignment of research efforts towards distinctive park needs, thereby fostering convergent knowledge co-production and leveraging the full value of National Parks as living laboratories.

Minor mining, major influence: Economic implications and policy challenges of artisanal gold mining

This study presents an in-depth analysis of the economic policies and implications surrounding artisanal gold mining, reframing the discussion from geographical specifics to a broader policy and economic context. Utilizing advanced geospatial data from the Landsat image collection through “Google Earth Engine,” the research evaluates the economic impact and policy challenges posed by artisanal gold mining over a period from 2011 to 2021. The approach combines change detection methodologies with machine learning to quantify the economic repercussions of land cover changes due to mining. The analysis reveals significant economic transformations, with an average of 2700 ha of land affected annually, culminating in around 48,000 ha over the decade, highlighting a critical period from 2013 to 2020. Importantly, the study identifies policy gaps, especially in the management of protected areas where approximately 800 ha of mining occurred. The findings underscore the urgent need for policy interventions to mitigate the adverse economic and environmental impacts of unregulated mining. The study contributes to a broader understanding of the economic ramifications of artisanal mining and serves as a call to action for policymakers to address the challenges of sustainable mining practices and economic development.

Under-utilisation of the World Heritage Cultural Landscape category? A timely question

ABSTRACT UNESCO’s Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972) (Convention) provides the highest level of international recognition for outstanding universal heritage places. While the Convention has been instrumental in aiding heritage preservation, arguably it has also reinforced a problematic ‘culture’ and ‘nature’ division in protected area management. This is not a new observation. One solution that attempted to address this issue was the introduction of the World Heritage (WH) ‘Cultural Landscape’ category in 1992. Yet, as of 2023, there are only 127 Cultural Landscape properties of the total 1157 properties on the WH List (10.9%). Poor recognition of the category appears particularly acute in some regions, such as Australia-Oceania, and in this paper, we consider this apparent under-utilisation with a systematic review of the literature about the category. Our analysis reveals significant and concerning regional variations in both use of the cultural landscape category and in research about it. In our current era, when better recognition of First Nation heritage is demanded, and when greater protection of heritage assets is required, further uptake of the Cultural Landscape category has the potential to redress these pressing societal concerns.

Assessing the socio-economic impacts of tourism packages: a methodological proposition

PurposeThe effects of tourism extend beyond purely economic considerations; they also have an impact on both the environment and people. Development of tools and procedures that foster consensus among practitioners and enable the measurement and benchmarking of impacts are required for tourism managers to be able to work on lowering and mitigating the sector’s effects, while enhancing the positive benefits. In this study a methodological proposition to assess the social impacts of tourism packages is presented.Aim and scopeThis study adapts and tests for the first time a social evaluation technique, the Product Social Impact Assessment (PSIA) method, to assess the social implications of tourism products and services. It is iteratively tested on 9 tourism packages in Mediterranean Protected Areas. Numerous parties, including managers of protected areas and private tourism stakeholders, have engaged in this process at various stages, such as developing the packages or supplying the data required for the assessment.ConclusionsThe methodology tested appears appropriate to quantify and qualify the social impacts of tourism packages and is valid for enhancing the social performance since positive progress between the two testing faces was registered. This study is a step towards standardizing the social assessment of tourism packages following a Life Cycle Assessment approach, and future developments are needed to make the approach proposed in the paper adequate to assess the social impacts of the upstream and downstream components of the system.

The playing out of distributional, procedural and recognitional equity and the acceptance of protected areas by local people: Evidence from the Giant Panda National Park, China

This paper examines how perceived social equity (distributional equity, procedural equity, and recognitional equity) affects acceptance of protected areas by local communities. We also consider the consequences of these perceptions on the behaviour of local people in relation to biodiversity conservation. Despite increasing importance being given to social issues in protected area management, there is limited evidence about the effect of perceived equity on local support for conservation initiatives. Questionnaires (mostly face-to-face interviews) were undertaken with 426 households living in and around the Giant Panda National Park, which lies across the Sichuan, Shanxi and Gansu provinces of China. Structural equation modelling revealed that local residents with positive perceptions of procedural and distributional equity were more willing to support conservation and engage in conservation behaviours. Surprisingly, perceived recognitional equity had no effect on acceptance and negatively impacted conservation behaviour. This highlights that, although it is essential to promote recognitional equity, the complexities around this must be considered further. The context (e.g. age, education, village of residence) moderates the relationships between procedural equity, distributional equity and local acceptance. We suggest that, in order to achieve better park-people relationships, in addition to addressing equity concerns, it is also necessary to implement supplementary measures, such as community co-management and benefit sharing with host communities.

Analysis of Participatory Approaches of Community-Based Sustainable Marine Protected Area Management Groups

This study was conducted to see the role of community participation in the management of community-based marine protected areas. In addition, this study also shows the impact of conservation area management on improving community welfare and improving the quality of the environment. The research design used is a mixed method which is a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis. Qualitative analysis uses in-depth interview methods with resource persons, while quantitative analysis uses the one-sample test method to test respondents' perceptions related to research variables. The research sample consisted of the Head of the Management Group, Village Head, Traditional Head, Religious Leaders, and Community Member Representatives in Roon District, Teluk Wondama Regency, West Papua, Indonesia. Research findings show that the role of the community in the management of conservation areas is very high, this can be seen from the supervisors of conservation area management groups consisting of Government, Religious, and Social groups. In addition, active participation from the community around the conservation area is also the key to the success of good area management. The findings of one sample test showed, that 1) The participation of members of the Marine Protected Area group has been classified as high, 2) Sasi culture has been proven to affect the income level of the community, 3) Member participation has been proven to be active in decision making, 4) The existence of Sasi has been proven to increase the sustainability of natural resources, 5) Proven to successfully contribute to the achievement of SDG number 14.

Evaluating the effectiveness of protected area management in Indonesia

Abstract Protected areas worldwide are strongholds for safeguarding biodiversity, natural habitats, ecosystem services and cultural values. Yet despite their importance, the effectiveness of protected area management varies greatly. Indonesia is a biodiversity hotspot, with 554 protected areas that cover 27 million ha across the archipelago. To assess and improve the management effectiveness of these protected areas, the Government of Indonesia applied an adapted version of the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) to assess 422 of the country's protected areas, of which 170 were repeatedly assessed in 2015, 2017 and 2019. We investigated the METT score changes across these protected areas and the factors explaining the varying scores. Over the study years, METT scores significantly improved (mean increase of 44.1%). National parks had the highest mean score, which was 13.4 points higher than other protected area types. After correcting for spatial autocorrelation using a generalized least-squares model, we found that METT score increase was positively influenced by year of assessment and having a well-resourced management authority, with no influence of protected area size or mean protected area budget allocation per ha. The assessments identified five main threats to protected areas: poaching, illegal logging, human settlements, tourism and non-timber cultivation. The widespread and repeated use of METT across the protected areas of Indonesia and the increasing METT scores indicate an overall improvement in management and professionalism. Building on the foundational work in our study, future studies should assess the association between METT scores and progress made towards achieving the conservation objectives of protected areas.

Seminatural Grasslands: An Emblematic Challenge for Nature Conservation in Protected Areas

Seminatural grasslands are among the most threatened habitats in Europe and worldwide, mainly due to changes in/abandonment of their traditional extensive use by grazing animals. This study aimed to develop an innovative model that integrates plant biodiversity, animal husbandry, and geo-informatics to manage and preserve seminatural grasslands in protected areas. With this objective, an integrated study was conducted on the seminatural grasslands in the hilly, montane, and (to a minimum extent) subalpine belts of the Maiella National Park, one of Europe’s most biodiversity-rich protected sites. Plant biodiversity was investigated through 141 phytosociological relevés in homogeneous areas; the pastoral value was calculated, and grasslands’ productivity was measured together with the main nutritional parameters. Uni- and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to identify the main grassland vegetation types, their indicator species and ecological–environmental characteristics, and their pastoral and nutritional values’ variability and differences. A total of 17 grassland types, most of which correspond to habitat types listed in Annex I to the 92/43/EEC Directive, were identified and characterised in terms of their biodiversity and potential animal load. To allow for near-real-time analysis of grasslands, an NDVI-based web interface running on Google Earth Engine was implemented. This integrated approach can provide decision-making support for protected-area managers seeking to develop and implement sustainable grassland management practices that ensure the long-term maintenance of their biodiversity.

Enhancing climate change planning and adaptive management in marine protected areas through targets, thresholds, and social-ecological objectives

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are being deployed globally to protect the Earth’s biodiversity in rapidly changing oceans. Nesting climate change considerations within adaptive MPA management and monitoring is becoming a more common approach, and while climate change is increasingly addressed in MPA planning, implementation gaps remain. This study applied the climate robustness index (CRI) to MPA monitoring plans to assess how climate change is outlined within site- and regional-level plans. Previously developed to assess MPA management plans, the CRI scores plans based on their degree of incorporation of climate change adaptation principles, including core elements of adaptive management. We supplemented our CRI findings for monitoring plans by associating index scores of MPAs in the United States with selected MPA traits, as well as by examining specific physical, ecological, and sociological climate change impacts that were being considered within the monitoring scope of a subset of monitoring plans. We found considerable gaps in actionable targets and thresholds in MPA monitoring plans, consistent with a previous study evaluating MPA management plans, demonstrating that the adaptive management cycle is incomplete in many cases. We consider the importance of completing the adaptive management cycle as a core climate adaptation strategy, and explore the roles of social-ecological objectives and local partnerships as avenues to continue to improve MPA outcomes in a changing world.

Investigation into the Impact of Pika Population Dynamics on Grassland Degradation and the Development of Management Strategies: A Case Study Conducted in Sanjiangyuan National Park

This study focuses on the dynamic changes of pika and rabbit populations in Sanjiangyuan National Park and its impact on grassland degradation. The Sanjiangyuan region, as an important part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, has a unique ecosystem and rich biodiversity. As a key species in the area, the pika's activities play an important role in loosening the grassland soil and retaining moisture. However, due to the dual impact of climate change and human activities, the excessive growth of the pika population has led to the severe degradation of the grassland ecosystem and the formation of “black soil beaches”, which not only destroys the natural recovery ability of the grassland but also affects the livelihood of local herders had a negative impact. In the context of global sustainable development, this study proposes a series of scientific and reasonable management measures, including the implementation of dynamic rotational grazing, returning grazing to grassland, forage planting, and green prevention and control of pikas, etc., to achieve the goal of realizing cattle, sheep, and pasture and ecological coordination among pikas. At the same time, the study emphasizes the in-depth understanding of the role of pikas in the ecosystem and their relationship with grassland degradation through scientific research, providing a scientific basis for formulating effective ecological protection and restoration strategies. In addition, the study also puts forward suggestions for establishing a sound legal and regulatory system, strengthening protected area management institutions, and promoting public participation, publicity, and education. These measures aim to ensure that ecological protection work in Sanjiangyuan National Park is effectively implemented and to promote the sustainable development of local communities. The case of Sanjiangyuan National Park has important reference significance at the global level, demonstrating how to achieve a balance between economic development and environmental protection through ecological protection and restoration work. This has a guiding role for other regions around the world facing similar ecological problems and will help promote the implementation of the global sustainable development agenda. In short, the ecological protection and management of Sanjiangyuan National Park requires the joint efforts of the government, scientific research institutions, local communities, and the international community to achieve long-term ecological security and sustainable development.

Analysis of scientific production and knowledge about wildlife roadkill in Brazilian protected areas

Roads are responsible for great biodiversity loss, especially in protected areas (PAs). Thus, considering the great risk of roads to PAs and the lack of knowledge about these areas, we aimed to analyze the scientific production on wildlife roadkill in Brazil and compare the studies that surveyed roads with and without PAs. We searched for papers in five databases: SciELO, Google Scholar, Reet Brasil, Scopus and Plataforma Lattes. Studies considered to be near PAs (PPA) collected data within a radius of 1km of PAs and the other studies were considered to have no PA (NPA). We found 126 studies that surveyed wildlife roadkill in Brazil, of which 57% are PPA. Publications on wildlife roadkill have increased in recent years, with a greater number of PPA studies than NPA studies (W = 618, p = 0.5992). Mammals are the most-studied group (n = 108), followed by reptiles (n = 79), birds (n = 73) and amphibians (n = 58). Most of the studies took place in the Cerrado (54) and the Atlantic Forest (45), where are the greatest number of surveyed PAs, greatest number of PAs and greatest number of PAs without studies. Only 18 papers suggest specific mitigation measures for the study site. The increase in PPA studies is positive, but researchers need to increase contact with PA managers to produce scientific knowledge and develop more efficient mitigation measures for these areas. We encourage increased surveying of roads near PAs, involvement of researchers with environmental agencies, and more studies with small animals.