Non-protected Areas Research Articles

Wildlife roadkill patterns on a major highway in Kashmir Himalaya

In the face of increasing road networks in the Western Himalayas, road-kills of wildlife are increasing. In order to generate a baseline data, we carried a preliminary study from March to August, 2019 on 45 km stretch of the Srinagar–Leh National Highway NH-1 in northern India which connects the newly formed union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The highway traversing through Sindh Valley and passing adjacent to Thajwas-Baltal Wildlife Sanctuary was surveyed to describe the patterns of roadkill . The survey of six months recorded roadkill of 64 individuals (0.14 roadkill km −1 ) comprising 19 species from different terrestrial vertebrate groups, of which two species, house cat ( Felis catus ) and domestic dog ( Canis lupus ), were domesticated species. Mammals constituted 37.5% (0.055 roadkill km -1 ), followed by birds 24% (0.034 roadkill km -1 ), reptiles 21% (0.032 roadkill km -1 ) and amphibians 17% (0.025 roadkill km -1 ). Excluding amphibians and reptiles, there were significantly more roadkill on road sections adjacent to the protected areas (59%) than in sections adjacent to non-protected areas. The study besides being a baseline for future studies revealed that the roads act as potential threat to wildlife and animals killed by vehicles are driven possibly by the spatial resource arrangement.

Patterns of fish community structure in protected and non-protected marine areas of mainland Tanzania

Information on the benefits of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for the condition of fish stocks is not well documented in Tanzania. Fish landing sites located in Tanga and Mtwara regions were surveyed to assess patterns of fish community structure; particularly fish abundance, species diversity, growth patterns, and maturity stages, based on catches landed at sites with different protection status. Fish abundance in the catch from protected areas was significantly lower than in non-protected areas (p=0.002). Species diversity was relatively higher in catches from non-protected (H=2.742) compared to protected areas (H=2.232). A high percentage of species (63.24 %) exhibiting negative allometric growth was observed in catches from non-protected areas. Further, a large number of mature fish was observed in catches from protected areas compared to non-protected areas (p<0.01). These indices are useful indicators of the performance of MPAs. The observed negative allometric growth and reduced number of mature fishes in the non-protected areas suggest that extractive pressure and disturbances from fishing gears have negative impacts on the fish stock. Continued high extraction may induce a decline in general fish size due to the constant selection for large-trait fish specimens, potentially causing evolutionally change in morphological traits. In contrast, the lower abundance and species diversity from the protected areas reflected low catch effort as a result of regulated fishing pressure in MPAs, rather than indicating the actual diversity in the fish stocks in these protected waters. Based on these findings it is recommended that more regulatory strategies are implemented in non-protected waters to allow more time for fish to attain appropriate harvest sizes and to ensure the effective protection of marine resources.

On the investigation of an economic value for forest ecosystem services in the past 30 years: Lessons learnt and future insights from a North–South perspective

Since the publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the research of ecosystem services valuation has seen an exponential growth with a consequent development, improvement, and spread of different qualitative and quantitative methods. The interest is due to the benefits that ecosystem services provide for human wellbeing. A large part of ecosystem services is provided by the so-called forest ecosystem services (FES) in both protected and non-protected areas. The aim of the present study is to investigate key variables driving the FES value at the global level. These include, other than socio-economic information, the ecosystem services' quality condition and the location of the study. The research uses a meta-regression of 478 observations from 57 studies in the time span 1992–2021 retrieved from the online Ecosystem Service Valuation Database (ESVD). The main results show that both the ES quality condition and spatial aspect are relevant factors in determining the estimated value of FES, suggesting the existence of a difference in the forest value from a North-South perspective. The investigation of an economic assessment of FES is advised as a key research trend in the immediate future. This allows to close the gap between the global North and South and favors the implementation of adequate socio-economic and environmental governance for an efficient forest management.

Measurement of the Threatened Biodiversity Existence Value Output: Application of the Refined System of Environmental-Economic Accounting in the Pinus pinea Forests of Andalusia, Spain

Are we able to determine the existence value output generated for society through the preservation of wild species threatened with extinction? In this article we defend the theory that the service of preserving threatened species with risk of extinction is an existence value output with a hidden transaction price if it can be established that there are consumer or state willingness to pay an additional tax above the government total cost to avoid an increase in one threatened species in relation to the number recorded at the opening of the accounting period. This output is estimated by adding the total cost and the additional consumer tax which the consumers state that they are willing to pay through a choice experiment survey. Our refined monetary System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (rSEEA) extends the existence value output concept and valuation principles recommended by the United Nations. In this paper, this rSEEA was applied to Pinus pinea forests in protected as well as non-protected areas of Andalusia, Spain in 2010. The results show that the net value added from protected areas is 40% higher than that from non-protected areas. It is incidental that the environmental benefits in both areas coincide.

History of Land Cover Change on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos

Islands are particularly vulnerable to the effects of land cover change due to their limited size and remoteness. This study analyzes vegetation cover change in the agricultural area of Santa Cruz (Galapagos Archipelago) between 1961 and 2018. To reconstruct multitemporal land cover change from existing land cover products, a multisource data integration procedure was followed to reduce imprecision and inconsistencies that may result from the comparison of heterogeneous datasets. The conversion of native forests and grasslands into agricultural land was the principal land cover change in the non-protected area. In 1961, about 94% of the non-protected area was still covered by native vegetation, whereas this had decreased to only 7% in 2018. Most of the agricultural expansion took place in the 1960s and 1970s, and it created an anthropogenic landscape where 67% of the area is covered by agricultural land and 26% by invasive species. Early clearance of native vegetation took place in the more accessible—less rugged—areas with deeper-than-average and well-drained soils. The first wave of settlement consisted of large and isolated farmsteads, with 19% of the farms being larger than 100 ha and specializing in diary and meat production. Over the period of 1961–1987, the number of farms doubled from less than 100 to more than 200, while the average farm size decreased from 90 to 60 ha/farmstead. Due to labor constraints in the agricultural sector, these farms opted for less labor-intensive activities such as livestock farming. New farms (popping up in the 1990s and 2000s) are generally small in size, with <5 ha per farmstead, and settled in areas with less favorable biophysical conditions and lower accessibility to markets. From the 1990s onwards, the surge of alternative income opportunities in the tourism and travel-related sector reduced pressure on the natural resources in the non-protected area.

Bats of Mount Silabur, Sarawak, and Its Potential for Conservation

Karst landscape is recognised as one of the biologically important areas especially for bats. The limestone caves and forest within the landscape provide essential resources for the local bat fauna, albeit bat populations are severely threatened by anthropogenic disturbances occurring within and surrounding the ecosystem. In Sarawak, studies on bat diversity are biased towards protected areas, leaving aside non-protected areas including private lands such as Mount Silabur. Surveys on bat diversity were conducted at the limestone outcrop and the surrounding matrix of Mount Silabur with the primary aim of developing the first checklist of bats at Mount Silabur. A total of 27 species were recorded from 12 sampling nights representing approximately 34% of the total bat species recorded in Sarawak. The Cox’s Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros coxi), a rare Bornean endemic species, was recorded from the cave system, signifying an important record for the area and also Sarawak. Furthermore, this is the sixth locality record for the species in Sarawak, Borneo. Interestingly, the total number of bat species recorded from Mount Silabur represented about 72% of the total bat species recorded (27 out of 38 species) from other major touristic caves in western Sarawak; Fairy Cave Nature Reserve and Wind Cave Nature Reserve. This warrants a need to develop an action plan to protect and conserve Mount Silabur cave system and the surrounding forest for its potential to serve as a shelter for bats and other cave and forest dependent taxa. The local community should implement and adhere to guidelines for cave related activities to minimise human driven disturbances on the ecosystem and its inhabitants.

High dependence on protected areas by the endangered giant armadillo in Argentina

A combination of technics was used to assess landscape variables associated with the presence of the globally vulnerable giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) in its southernmost distribution in the Chaco region of Argentina. Between 2017 and 2019, 369 km of foot and vehicle transects were run to search and record indirect evidence of the species (burrows and feeding excavations) in areas with different level of protection, including two national parks, three provincial parks, and non-protected areas. Distance sampling was used to estimate density of excavations and effective strip width sampled to estimate the surveyed area. Resource selection functions (RSFs) were used to assess the variables associated to its presence by comparing locations of excavations with available habitat within surveyed areas. In these RSF models covariates that may affect habitat use and survival of giant armadillos were included: three categorical ones: soil type, vegetation cover (forests vs. grasslands), protection level (national park, provincial park, non-protected), and five continuous variables: distance to nearest river, distance to nearest national park, distance to closest protected area, distance to nearest transformed area, and distance to natural grasslands. Habitat use was modelled pooling together burrows and feeding excavations, and models were validated with a pool of records previously excluded from the analysis. A total of 104 records of burrows and 344 of feeding excavations were recorded. The probability of occurrence of giant armadillo excavations was much higher within forests, within or near protected areas, and increased with the distance to rivers, to transformed areas, and to grasslands. In the study area, only 10% of the landscape surveyed has good- to high-probability of occurrence of giant armadillos. The maintenance of large surfaces of native forests and the consolidation, improvement, and connectivity among protected areas seem to be essential for the long-term survival of the endangered giant armadillo in Argentina.

OCCURRENCE OF ROADKILLS OF Caiman latirostris ON ROADS IN CENTRAL-WESTERN, SOUTHEASTERN, AND SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Brazil has an extensively large road network, with significant importance to its society. However, construction of new roads can promote the modification of the natural environment, increasing the chances of roadkills of wild animal specimens, both in protected and non-protected areas. In this sense, it is important to collect data on roadkills of native fauna specimens. Considering the scarcity of information, the main objective of this study was to collect data on roadkills of Caiman latirostris in Central-Western, Southeastern and Southern Brazil. Between 2010 and 2022, a total of 48 individuals of C. latirostris hit by vehicles were recorded, with occurrences in the Cerrado (75%), Pampa (16%), and Atlantic Forest (8%) biomes. Monitoring of wildlife roadkills may be an indicator of local biodiversity and its results can be used as an alert for implementing effective preventive measures to reduce the death of caimans from vehicular collisions.

Population size, density, and ranging behaviour in a key leopard population in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Globally, leopards are the most widespread large felid. However, mounting anthropogenic threats are rapidly reducing viable leopard populations and their range. Despite the clear pressures facing this species, there is a dearth of robust and reliable population and density estimates for leopards across their range, which is particularly important in landscapes that consist of protected and non-protected areas. We conducted a camera trapping survey between 2017 and 2018 in the Western Cape, South Africa to estimate the occupancy, density, and population size of a leopard population. Leopards were recorded at 95% of camera trapping sites, which resulted in a high occupancy that showed no significant variation between seasons, habitat types, or along an altitudinal gradient. Our results indicated a low leopard density in the study area, with an estimated 1.53 leopards/100 km2 in summer and 1.62 leopards/100 km2 in winter. Mean leopard population size was therefore estimated at 107 and 113 individuals in the winter and summer respectively. Leopard activity centres for female ranges were centred in the core study area and could be predicted with good certainty, while males appeared to move out of the study area during winter which resulted in a higher uncertainty in locations of activity centres. Interestingly, livestock depredation events in the surrounding farmlands were significantly higher in winter, which coincides with male leopards moving outside the core protected area into the surrounding farmlands. To reduce livestock losses and retaliatory leopard killings, we suggest that human-carnivore conflict mitigation measures be intensely monitored during the winter months in the study area. We also suggest that future leopard conservation efforts should focus on privately-owned land as these non-protected areas contain the majority of the remaining suitable leopard habitat and may provide important dispersal corridors and buffer zones on which the long-term sustainability of leopard populations depends.

Asymmetrical cooling effects of Amazonian protected areas across spatiotemporal scales

Amazonian protected areas (PAs) play an important role in maintaining the regional and global ecosystem services, biodiversity and climate change mitigation. The effects of Amazonian PAs on climate change mitigation mainly focus on the carbon sequestration benefits. The biophysical effects of PAs on regulating the local energy budgets, and hence changing local climate, however, are often ignored. Using multiple satellite observation datasets, we evaluated the effects of Amazonian PAs on land surface temperature (LST) and the biophysical mechanisms of PAs on surface albedo and evapotranspiration (ET). We showed that Amazonian PAs have a cooling effect on local LST in relative to nearby croplands and non-protected areas (non-PAs) with the same land cover as PAs. The asymmetrical cooling effects of Amazonian PAs between daytime and nighttime, and between the dry and wet seasons sustain lower diurnal and seasonal temperature ranges, respectively, than non-PAs and croplands. The protected forests have stronger cooling effects, and more effectively moderate the diurnal and seasonal temperature ranges than the protected savannas due to the higher effects on surface albedo and ET. The non-PAs show weaker cooling effect than PAs, indicating reduced thermal buffering effect in non-PAs. Our results highlighted the great potential of natural vegetation in PAs versus non-PAs and croplands in buffering local thermal environment and the necessity of natural vegetation conservation in Amazon region.

First detection of microplastics in Xyrichtys novacula (Linnaeus 1758) digestive tract from Eivissa Island (Western Mediterranean)

Plastic waste and its ubiquity in the oceans represent a growing problem for marine life worldwide. Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in the sea and easily enter food webs. Xyrichtys novacula L. is one of the main target species of recreational fishing in the Balearic Islands, Spain. In the present study, the quantity of MPs in gastrointestinal tracts of X. novacula from two different areas (a marine protected area (MPA) and a non-protected area) of Eivissa Island (in the Balearic archipelago) has been assessed, as well as MPs evaluation within the sediment of both areas. The results showed that over 80% of sampled individuals had MPs in their gut with an average of 3.9 ± 4.3 plastic items/individual. Eighty percent of these plastics were fibres, while the rest were fragments. Although the sediment of the non-protected area had a significant higher presence of MPs, no significant differences in the number of MPs were observed in X. novacula from both areas. The µ-FT-IR analysis showed that the main polymers in the sediments were polycarbonate (PC) and polypropylene (PP), whereas in the digestive tract of fish PC, PP, polyethylene, polystyrene and polyester. In conclusion, practically all X. novacula specimens presented MPs in their digestive tract regardless if the capture zone was in a MPAs or not. These results highlight the ubiquity of MPs in coastal marine areas, and further studies might be necessary to evaluate further implications of MP presence in this species.

Marine plastics in Mediterranean islands: Evaluating the distribution and composition of plastic pollution in the surface waters along four islands of the Western Sea Basin

To study the spatial distribution of sea surface plastics in marine protected and non-protected areas, 65 sea surface trawls were carried out using a Hydro-bios manta net coupled with a 335-μm mesh. A total of 19 sampling sites along the coastal waters of Mallorca, the “Parque Nacional Marítimo-Terrestre del Archipiélago de Cabrera” and Menorca in the Balearic Islands as well as along coastal waters of The Natural Park of Columbretes Islands (NW Mediterranean Sea) were sampled.A total of 10,637 plastic items were identified and a subset of these items was categorized by shape, color, size and polymer composition. Plastic particles were found at each sampling site and in all samples. No microscale nor mesoscale variability in floating marine plastics abundance (particles/m2) was encountered throughout the study area where similar values were found in protected areas with no local land-based contamination sources, such as Columbretes [0.04 (±0.03) particles/m2], and in high anthropized areas, such as the island of Mallorca [0.04 (±0.07) particles/m2]. However, differences were found in characteristics of plastic items (shape, polymer, and size range), with the protected area of Columbretes characterized by the presence of the highest density of very small plastic items composed mainly of fragments (93%). Quantified plastics from the marine environment were composed mainly of polyethylene (PE, 63.3%), polypropylene (PP; 24.9%), polycarbonate (PC; 4.6%) and polystyrene (PS, 3.3%). The polymer composition showed a homogenous composition between islands and differences were detected only amongst Columbretes and the other islands.Results from this study provide further evidence of the ubiquity of plastics in the marine environment and highlight that remote and protected areas, such as Columbretes, are not exempt from plastic pollution, but receptor areas for small and aged floating plastics composed mainly by fragments, which might have potentially harmful effects on protected ecosystems.

Evaluating Forest Cover Changes in Protected Areas Using Geospatial Analysis in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Abstract Protected areas have been developed in Thailand to conserve the natural environment required for wildlife and human beings, and to prevent disasters. It is necessary to address doubts about effectiveness of protected areas because regulations have been changed or are ignored in some communities and regions, especially in Chiang Mai province, which is facing the loss of natural forest areas under area transformations. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of forest protected areas. To do this, this study focused on analyzing multi-year land cover changes in Chiang Mai over two decades (1995-2015) with four land cover types: forest, agriculture, urban, and water bodies, inside and outside protected areas. The results suggest that the establishment of forest protected areas assisted to curtail urban expansion compared to non-protected areas. The protected areas effectively kept the number of divided forest patches small, and the forest patches were larger than in non-protected areas. We detected clearing of forests in protected areas, where they were transformed into agricultural areas. However, agricultural patches in protected areas were smaller and in higher densities than in non-protected areas. We conclude that the main contribution of forest cover loss in Chiang Mai is transition to agricultural areas, and that designated national parks and wildlife sanctuaries could help to effectively conserve such forest areas. Keywords: Land cover change, Land transformation, Protected areas, Non-protected areas, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Impacts of protected areas establishment on pastoralists’ livelihoods in the Three-River-Source Region on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Proclaiming a protected area (PA) is an effective strategy for establishing a perdurable ecosystem, exerting trenchant socioeconomic impacts on local communities. Determining PAs’ effect on the household livelihoods of the residents is essential for harmonizing ecological protection measures and human livelihood development. Yet few studies concerning the socioeconomic effects of PAs on indigenous household livelihoods have been conducted in China’s protected areas. Therefore, household surveys were conducted in Three-River-Source Region (TRSR) to examine livelihood changes occurring before and after the establishment of the Three-River-Source National Park (TRSNP) and to limn the factors responsible for the changes of household livelihoods in the PA and the nearby non-protected area (NPA). Results showed that in TRSR, grazing activities were restricted in the PAs after the implementation of the TRSNP, yet the restrictions did not result in a significant decrease in grazing income. Subsidies from the PA were a large portion of total household income, partly resulting in higher total income in the PA than in the NPA. Once subsidies cease, household incomes in the PA may substantially decrease. The number of income sources increased in both the PA and NPA, but the PA stimulated households to find alternative income sources to secure livelihoods. The number of the labor force and livestock and the areas of farmland and grassland were the primary factors affecting total household income. Our results suggest that the policy of PAs’ establishment should be implemented continuing in TRSR to protect the environment. Prudent consideration and multifaceted guidance are still required to strengthen local livelihoods in TRSR. Balanced ecological and economic development is possible when appropriate management approaches such as franchising are adopted.

COVID restrictions impact wildlife monitoring in Australia

The global COVID-19 pandemic has imposed restrictions on people's movement, work and access to places at multiple international, national and sub-national scales. We need a better understanding of how the varied restrictions have impacted wildlife monitoring as gaps in data continuity caused by these disruptions may limit future data use and analysis.To assess the effect of different levels of COVID-19 restrictions on both citizen science and traditional wildlife monitoring, we analyse observational records of a widespread and iconic monotreme, the Australian short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), in three states of Australia. We compare citizen science to observations from biodiversity data repositories across the three states by analysing numbers of observations, coverage in protected areas, and geographic distribution using an index of remoteness and accessibility. We analyse the effect of restriction levels by comparing these data from each restriction level in 2020 with corresponding periods in 2018–2019.Our results indicate that stricter and longer restrictions reduced numbers of scientific observations while citizen science showed few effects, though there is much variation due to differences in restriction levels in each state. Geographic distribution and coverage of protected and non-protected areas were also reduced for scientific monitoring while citizen science observations were little affected.This study shows that citizen science can continue to record accurate and widely distributed species observational data, despite pandemic restrictions, and thus demonstrates the potential value of citizen science to other researchers who require reliable data during periods of disruption.

The Influence of Boundary Habitat Continuity on Spillover from a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area

The effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) to restore populations of exploited species, both within and outside of their boundaries through net movement of individuals (“spillover”), can potentially be affected by continuity of habitats across the boundaries. Sandy seabeds may reduce movement of reef-associated species across MPA boundaries, thereby increasing the ‘reserve effect’ while decreasing spillover. Underwater visual censuses were undertaken inside the Cerbère-Banyuls Marine Reserve (CBMR) (France) and adjacent non-protected areas to assess the influence of habitat on spillover. Total fish biomass and mean fish size were significantly higher within the MPA, but rapidly declined across the reserve boundary. Nevertheless, there was no indication of a sharper decline in biomass at the northern boundary where a habitat discontinuity was present relative to the southern boundary with continuous habitat. This result may reflect a number of complicating factors that make assessment of spillover potential difficult, and which may also lead to the uncertainty about which situations and how much spillover may contribute to fished populations outside reserves. In particular, the home range area of the key exploited species relative to the scale of the habitat mosaic, and potentially different levels of fishing pressure at each boundary likely contribute to variability. While the CBMR appeared particularly well-suited to investigating this question, resolving these issues and identifying general principles for where and how much spillover occurs will likely be difficult without a series of specially designed MPAs. This highlights a conundrum facing MPA establishment in the face of pressures to be successful for both biodiversity conservation and to offer fisheries benefits—the latter are clearly not ubiquitous, but a shortage of suitable MPAs that can be used as scientific tools for better understanding how and when these benefits may occur is precluded by a general lack of MPAs designed and managed for this purpose. The results of this study do, however, clearly highlight the biodiversity conservation benefits of the CBMR.

Spatial segregation between wild ungulates and livestock outside protected areas in the lowlands of Nepal.

Understanding how wildlife interacts with human activities across non-protected areas are critical for conservation. This is especially true for ungulates that inhabit human-dominated landscapes outside the protected area system in Nepal, where wildlife often coexists with livestock. Here we investigated how elevation, agricultural land, distance from roads, and the relative abundance of livestock (goats, sheep, cow and buffalo) influenced wild ungulate chital (Axis axis), nilgai (Boselaphustrago camelus), wild boar (Sus scrofa) and sambar (Rusa unicolor) abundance and occurrence. We counted all individuals of wild ungulates and livestock along 35 transects conducted between November 2017 and March 2018 in community forests of Bara and Rautahat distracts in the lowlands of Nepal. We assessed abundance and occurrence relation to covariates using Generalized Linear Models. We found that livestock outnumbered wild ungulates 6.6 to 1. Wild boar was the most abundant wild ungulate, followed by nilgai, chital, and sambar. Elevation and livestock abundance were the most important covariates affecting the overall abundance of wild ungulates and the distribution of each individual ungulate species. Our results suggest spatial segregation between wild ungulates, which occur mainly on high grounds (> 300 m.a.s.l.), and livestock that concentrate across low ground habitats (< 300 m.a.s.l.). Our results provide a critical first step to inform conservation in community forest areas of Nepal, where wildlife interacts with people and their livestock. Finding better strategies to allow the coexistence of ungulates with people and their livestock is imperative if they are to persist into the future.

Comparison of bird diversity in protected and non-protected wetlands of western lowland of Nepal

Protected areas are considered important for biodiversity conservation, however, studies have shown that habitats outside protected areas can also support high diversity and are important for biodiversity conservation. In this context, we compared the bird diversity between protected (Rani Taal in Shuklaphanta National Park) and non-protected (Sati Karnali Taal) wetlands in western Nepal. Bird surveys were conducted from February to August 2019, using open width point count method in 100 m intervals along transects. A total of 122 species belonging to 18 orders and 44 families were recorded from the protected wetland, and 107 species belonging to 16 orders and 41 families from the non-protected wetland area. Insectivores had high abundance in both wetlands (43% and 47% in protected and non-protected wetlands, respectively). Forest-dependent birds were more abundant in protected wetland compared to non-protected wetland. Our study showed that both protected and non-protected wetlands along with agricultural landscapes, support a richness of birds. Hence priority should be given to both wetlands for the conservation of birds.

A biogeographical study of red listed lichen species at temporal and spatial scales within protected and non-protected areas

The present study is focused on the temporal and spatial distribution of red listed lichen (RLL) species identified in both non-protected areas (NPAs) and protected areas (PAs) in Romania. This study revealed different scenarios of RLL based on two major patterns: (1) the fate of RLL before and after their designation in the red list in Romania and (2) the fate of RLL before and after the designation of PAs in Romania. Generally, the occurrences of RLL were well represented in time and space in both NPAs and PAs through geomorphological and biogeographical units. In particular, the occurrences of RLL were well represented, especially in hilly areas within PAs before and after their official designation, and this was an important aspect over a long period of time. Although NPAs were not less important regarding the occurrences of RLL species, it was observed that they followed the same pattern as PAs, namely, they were well represented in hilly areas and over a long period of time. The bioregions were significant for RLL species in both NPAs (continental and stepic) and PAs (continental, panonic, and stepic). As a significant finding of this study, NPAs and PAs should be subjected to an adequate conservation regime due to their biotical traditional heritage.

Aboveground Forest Carbon Stock in Protected Area: A Case Study of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, Indonesia

The role of protected areas has been expanded into climate change mitigation, specifically on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). A reliable and practical method for measuring, reporting and verifying carbon stock is an essential component for REDD+. This study aims to recognize the characteristic and estimate aboveground forest carbon (AGC) stock in the tropical protected tropical area using a combination of terrestrial forest inventory and spatial data. A 168 cluster plots totaling 33.6 hectares were taken proportionally based on the percentage of forest cover types (dryland primary natural forest/DPF and dryland secondary natural forest/DSF) using a traditional forest inventory method (more than 5 cm dbh). Results showed that Bukit Tigapuluh National Park secured a significant AGC stock which has been estimated to be 269.2 [247.07; 291.43] tC/ha or 35,823,639 [32,872,312; 38,774,966] tC in total, being stored in approximately 133,051 hectares of the tropical rain forest. This result was higher than other studies in non-protected areas but slightly lower than other studies within protected areas. This finding supported the argument that protected areas possess a higher figure of AGC stock than other forest management units. The high amount of forest carbon biomass in the protected areas shall be very important assets for conducting the role of conservation for REDD+.