Design Of Protected Areas Research Articles

Integrating natural disasters into protected area designing for global primate conservation under climate change

Disaster risk reduction, an essential function of protected areas (PAs), has been generally overlooked in PA design. Using primates as a model, we designed a disaster risk index (DRI) to measure the disaster sensitivity of primate species. High-conservation-need areas (HCN) were identified by both their richness and number of threatened primate species. We also constructed high-disaster-risk areas (HDR) and climate-sensitive areas (CS) based on a disaster risk assessment and temperature change under climate change. We overlaid HCN and HDR areas to obtain HDR-HCN areas. We defined species conservation targets as the percent of each species’ range that should be effectively conserved using “Zonation”. Landslides had the highest DRI (1.43 ± 0.88), but have been overlooked in previous studies. PA coverage in HDR-HCN (30%) was similar to that in HCN areas (28%), indicating that current PA design fails to account for disaster risk reduction. About 50% of the HDR-HCN areas overlapped with CS areas. Presently, 43% of primate species meet their conservation targets. Fifty-seven of primate species would meet their conservation targets and 67% of primates could benefit from PA expansion if HDR-HCN areas are fully incorporated into PAs. Increasing PA coverage in HDR-HCN areas is essential to achieving both primate conservation and disaster risk reduction. The study calls for integrating disaster risk reduction into PA design guidelines, particularly in regions like the western Amazon, and recommends flexible conservation approaches in other areas.

Temporal and spatial variability in availability bias has consequences for marine bird abundance estimates during the non‐breeding season

Abstract To effectively monitor how marine ecosystems are being reshaped by anthropogenic pressures, we require understanding of species abundances and distributions. Due to their socio‐economic and ecological value, predatory species are often at the forefront of survey efforts. However, survey data are only valuable if they can reliably be converted into estimates of underlying distributions. We consider at‐sea surveys of marine predators that often inform ecological impact assessments of offshore windfarms. These surveys are subject to a form of detection bias called ‘availability bias’ whereby individuals which are submerged below the surface are consequently ‘unavailable’ for detection. Although correction factors are commonly used in these surveys, they are currently based on limited data that may not be species‐, time‐, or area‐specific. Here, we use time‐depth‐recorder data to investigate variation in marine bird availability bias. We found that the proportion of diving marine birds submerged below the sea surface during daylight hours, and therefore unavailable to be counted during surveys, varied by species, month, and area. For three of our focal species wintering around northwest Europe (Atlantic puffin, common guillemot, razorbill), our results were different to comparable values previously used to correct for the availability bias, whereas no correction factors are regularly used for the fourth species (red‐throated diver). We now present availability bias correction factors that are species‐ and month‐specific to the areas the study populations use during their non‐breeding seasons: the North Sea, the north and west coasts of the UK, the Baltic Sea, and Icelandic coastal waters. Practical implication: Variation in the proportion of daylight hours that marine birds spent submerged lead to differences in availability bias correction factors, thereby impacting estimations of their abundances. We encourage use of correction factors that use data from the species, marine area, and month during which surveys are conducted to provide more accurate abundance estimates. Using more relevant correction factors will result in increasingly accurate abundance and distribution estimates of diving marine birds, with relevance for a range of applications including planning for offshore windfarm developments, the designation and monitoring of protected areas, and understanding environmental change.

Rise Up: Ecological and Social Responses to the Use of Advanced Mooring Systems to Recover Seagrass Habitat at Cawsand, England

UK recreational boating infrastructure in UK ports and harbors consistently coincides with Marine Protected Area designation. Under UK Marine Protected Area designations, vulnerable seabed habitats such as seagrass beds require protection and/or restoration. Mooring and anchoring activity has coincided with increasing concerns over the conservation status of the climate-buffering properties of seagrass beds in the literature and from empirical studies. Up until this study, there has yet to be a significant UK based trial of a number of modified moorings to see their impact on the reduction in pressure on vulnerable benthic habitats. In May 2019, we installed and tested five Advanced Mooring Systems (AMS) in Cawsand Bay, Plymouth Sound, UK. A further 10 such devices were installed in 2021 after the COVID 19 pandemic. The original five devices tested were ‘Stirling’ systems, whereby the rode is raised above the seabed by use of several submerged floats set at 1.5–2 m intervals along the chain, leading to a top mark that secures the vessel. Each AMS were attached to the seabed using helical screwpiles by commercial divers using a waterproof hydraulic wrench. The devices have held securely since May 2019, and monitoring of seagrass around these five moorings has occurred regularly (at approximately 6 monthly intervals) between May 2019 and May 2023. No seeding or transplantation to prime seagrass recovery has taken place around the base of the moorings during this period. Nevertheless, during the sixth dive survey in May 2023, 4 years after installation, a 212% increase in seagrass density was recorded within the zone previously abraded by the moorings and riser chains. Blade length of the longest seagrass shoots has also increased over the test period. Semi-structured interviews were held with participants in the trial from boat users, NGOs and government agencies to ascertain attitudes and responses to seagrass conservation and the use of AMS. Interaction with stakeholders are important to securing positive community buy-in to such interventions. We recommend that for small sailing craft and powerboats these systems provide a fit-for-purpose engineering and ecological solution to support the restoration of seagrass beds, but that such initiatives must be accompanied by significant understanding and interaction with local stakeholders.

Economic impacts at the county level of marine protected areas designation in China

Designating protected areas to balance environmental conservation and economic development is a widely debated issue. Evaluating the economic impacts of protected areas designation offers solutions to this challenge, and studying the economic impacts of China's marine protected areas (MPAs) holds particular significance due to their predominant location along the economically developed eastern coast of China. Treating MPAs designation as a quasi-natural experiment, it is analyzed using a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) model based on the panel data of coastal counties during 2000–2021. The results consistently inform that China's MPAs designation has negative impacts on the economic development of coastal counties, and these negative economic impacts can accumulate over time. Mediator tests show that MPAs designation significantly hampers the improvement of the local industrial structure, which partially explains the negative economic impacts. This indicates that after the designation of MPAs in coastal counties, there is an opportunity cost in terms of economic development, highlighting the need for ecological compensation for the designation of MPAs in coastal counties. Additionally, the extent of the negative impacts varies depending on the location of the MPAs, with MPAs in the North Sea producing the biggest impacts and those in the South Sea the least. This suggests that priority should be given to the South Sea in selecting marine national parks to achieve a balance between economic and conservation objectives. The study effectively quantified the negative impact of MPAs on economic development within a novel context. The findings offer valuable insights for addressing the broader conflict between environmental protection and economic development.

Assessment of Octocoral‐Dominated Benthic Assemblages Along a Mesophotic Gradient, With a Focus on the Impact of Lost Fishing Gears

ABSTRACTCoralligenous, a typical Mediterranean mesophotic habitat, is a highly diverse assemblage, severely threatened by several stressors, including fishing litter. To characterise the coralligenous of the upper mesophotic of the Portofino Promontory (Ligurian Sea, Italy), video transects at 35 and 50 m depth were performed at four sites. Benthic assemblages and lost fishing gears were recorded, and the two depths compared. A higher coverage of taxa with complex 3D structures was found at 50 m, mainly due to the gorgonian Paramuricea clavata. However, the overall low density of this species (0.4–6.6 colonies/m2), together with the impact caused by 120 fishing lines found along the transects, highlights the need for tailored conservation measures. With climate change moving further down the water column and fishing impacts being a major cause of degradation, the design of marine protected areas needs to be extended to include mesophotic depths, contributing to the 30 × 30 targets agreed upon at the COP15.

Multi-generational dispersal and dynamic patch occupancy reveals spatial and temporal stability of seascapes

The success of non-native species (NNS) invasions depends on patterns of dispersal and connectivity, which underpin genetic diversity, population establishment and growth. In the marine environment, both global environmental change and increasing anthropogenic activity can alter hydrodynamic patterns, leading to significant inter-annual variability in dispersal pathways. Despite this, multi-generational dispersal is rarely explicitly considered in attempts to understand NNS spread or in the design of management interventions. Here, we present a novel approach to quantifying species spread that considers range expansion and network formation across time using the non-native Pacific oyster, Magallana gigas (Thunberg 1793), as a model. We combined biophysical modelling, dynamic patch occupancy models, consideration of environmental factors, and graph network theory to model multi-generational dispersal in northwest Europe over 13 generations. Results revealed that M. gigas has a capacity for rapid range expansion through the creation of an ecological network of dispersal pathways that remains stable through time. Maximum network size was achieved in four generations, after which connectivity patterns remained temporally stable. Multi-generational connectivity could therefore be divided into two periods: network growth (2000−2003) and network stability (2004–2012). Our study is the first to examine how dispersal trajectories affect the temporal stability of ecological networks across biogeographic scales, and provides an approach for the assignment of site-based prioritisation of non-native species management at different stages of the invasion timeline. More broadly, the framework we present can be applied to other fields (e.g. Marine Protected Area design, management of threatened species and species range expansion due to climate change) as a means of characterising and defining ecological network structure, functioning and stability.

Comparing expedient and proactive approaches to the planning of protected area networks on Borneo

Protected areas are an important tool for wildlife conservation; however, research is increasingly revealing both biases and inadequacies in the global protected area network. One common criticism is that protected areas are frequently located in remote, high-elevation regions, which may face fewer threats compared to more accessible locations. To explore the conservation implications of this issue, we consider a thought experiment with seven different counterfactual scenarios for the Sunda clouded leopard’s conservation on Borneo. This allows us to examine two contrasting paradigms for conservation: “proactive conservation” which prioritises areas with high biodiversity and high risk of development, and “expedient conservation” which focusses on areas with the lowest development risk. We select clouded leopards as our focal species not only because of their emerging conservation importance, but also because, as top predators, they represent both keystone species and ambassadors for wider forest biodiversity. Furthermore, a published analysis of the likely impacts of forest loss in their habitat provides a benchmark for evaluating the modelled outcomes of alternative hypothetical conservation scenarios. We find that, across all metrics, expedient reserve design offered few benefits over the business-as-usual scenario, in contrast to the much greater conservation effectiveness of proactive protected area design. This paper sheds light on the challenging trade-offs between conservation goals and the competing land uses essential for the economic development and well-being of local communities.

Untangling island biogeography of terrestrial vertebrates in protected areas of America

Island Biogeography Theory (IBT) is a foundational framework in conservation science, yet its application to large-scale protected area (PA) design remains relatively understudied. This research investigates the influence of IBT-derived variables on terrestrial vertebrate richness and threatened species abundance within 4990 PAs across continental America. By examining the effects of area, shape, isolation, elevation, latitude, and human influence, we assessed the relative importance of these factors in shaping vertebrate diversity patterns. Our findings reveal that while IBT principles, such as the positive relationship between area and species richness, are evident, the influence of human activities is pervasive. Specifically, latitude and elevation significantly influenced species richness for most taxonomic groups, while area positively affected amphibians, birds, reptiles, and threatened mammals and reptiles. Shape and isolation exhibited varying degrees of impact across different taxa. Critically, human influence emerged as a dominant factor, particularly for birds, including threatened species. These results underscore the complex interplay between natural and anthropogenic processes in shaping biodiversity patterns. To effectively conserve terrestrial vertebrates, and overall biodiversity, PA managers and policy-makers must integrate IBT principles with strategies that address the impacts of human activities, such as habitat loss, fragmentation, and climate change.

A neglected wetland in human-dominated landscape shields avifauna from seasonal harsh conditions in Gambella, western Ethiopia

To mitigate biodiversity loss, increasing the number of protected areas in terrestrial and marine habitats is becoming a pressing demand on a global scale. However, the rising human population and per capita consumption continue to limit protected area designations, especially in economically productive areas. There is a dearth of information on the potential roles of small wetland ecosystems in human-dominated landscapes in supporting biodiversity conservation efforts. Here, we assess the roles of wetland ecosystems for avifaunal diversity within Gambella National Park and in the surrounding human-dominated landscape. We used a strip transect method to collect data on bird species during the wet and dry seasons. We evaluated whether each bird species are migratory or resident based on Birdlife International category and assessed their conservation status based on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. We recorded 114 bird species belonging to 41 families and 16 orders from the study area. Though the overall diversity of birds is significantly higher within the national park when averaged over the two seasons (p = 0.001), we recorded higher species diversity (3.78 vs. 3.09), evenness (0.85 vs. 0.77), and richness (88 vs. 56) for the wetland located within the human-dominated landscape during the wet season. The reverse was true during the dry season where we recorded higher diversity (3.29 vs. 2.31), evenness (0.75 vs. 0.55) and richness (80 vs. 66) for the wetland located within the national park. Species turnover between the two areas was higher during the wet season than during the dry season (β = 0.22 vs. 0.1), showing the avifaunal similarity shared between the two systems seasonally fluctuates. Most bird species often depend on the wetlands outside protected areas for feeding and roosting in the wet season to escape widespread flooding within the park. Our results support synergy between the two settings for sustaining avifaunal diversity, illustrating the importance of near-natural ecosystems within human-disturbed landscapes for supporting biodiversity conservation efforts. Besides focusing on protected areas alone, conservation agencies and decision makers should take into account the significances of such areas in human-dominated landscapes to ensure comprehensive and sustainable biodiversity conservation.

Conservation Imperatives: securing the last unprotected terrestrial sites harboring irreplaceable biodiversity

Ambitious biodiversity goals to protect 30% or more of the Earth’s surface by 2030 (30x30) require strategic near-term targets. To define areas that must be protected to prevent the most likely and imminent extinctions, we propose Conservation Imperatives—16,825 unprotected sites spanning ~164 Mha of the terrestrial realm that harbor rare and threatened species. We estimate that protecting the Conservation Imperatives would cost approximately US$169 billion (90% probability: US$146—US$228 billion). Globally, 38% of the 16,825 sites are either adjacent to or within 2.5 km of an existing protected area, potentially reducing land acquisition and management costs. These sites should be prioritized for conservation action over the next 5 years as part of a broader strategy to expand the global protected area network. The expansion of global protected areas between 2018 and 2023 incorporated only 7% of sites harboring range-limited and threatened species, highlighting a renewed urgency to conserve these habitats. Permanently protecting only 0.74% of land found in the tropics, where Conservation Imperatives are concentrated, could prevent the majority of predicted near-term extinctions once adequately resourced. We estimate this cost to be from US$29 billion to US$46 billion per year over the next 5 years. Multiple approaches will be required to meet long-term protection goals: providing rights and titles to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) conserving traditional lands, government designation of new protected areas on federal and state lands, and land purchase or long-term leasing of privately held lands.

Boosting biodiversity monitoring using smartphone-driven, rapidly accumulating community-sourced data.

Comprehensive biodiversity data is crucial for ecosystem protection. The Biome mobile app, launched in Japan, efficiently gathers species observations from the public using species identification algorithms and gamification elements. The app has amassed >6 million observations since 2019. Nonetheless, community-sourced data may exhibit spatial and taxonomic biases. Species distribution models (SDMs) estimate species distribution while accommodating such bias. Here, we investigated the quality of Biome data and its impact on SDM performance. Species identification accuracy exceeds 95% for birds, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians, but seed plants, molluscs, and fishes scored below 90%. Our SDMs for 132 terrestrial plants and animals across Japan revealed that incorporating Biome data into traditional survey data improved accuracy. For endangered species, traditional survey data required >2000 records for accurate models (Boyce index ≥ 0.9), while blending the two data sources reduced this to around 300. The uniform coverage of urban-natural gradients by Biome data, compared to traditional data biased towards natural areas, may explain this improvement. Combining multiple data sources better estimates species distributions, aiding in protected area designation and ecosystem service assessment. Establishing a platform for accumulating community-sourced distribution data will contribute to conserving and monitoring natural ecosystems.

Marine connectivity conservation: Guidance for MPA and MPA network design and management

The importance of considering ecological connectivity in the design of marine protected areas (MPAs) and ecologically coherent networks of protected areas across coasts and oceans has risen in prominence with the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This short communication highlights key messages emerging from a specialist conference session on marine connectivity by members of the IUCN-WCPA Marine Connectivity Working Group at the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in Vancouver in 2023. We consider the importance of spatial and temporal scale, knowledge and data gaps and some of the technological and scientific advances that are generating insights into species movements that can inform the ecologically meaningful design of protected areas for effective conservation of ecosystem integrity, biodiversity and the flow of ecosystem services.

Energy Efficiency in Public Lighting Systems Friendly to the Environment and Protected Areas

Solid-state lighting technology, such as LED devices, is critical to improving energy efficiency in street lighting systems. In Ecuador, government policies have established the obligation to exclusively use LED systems starting in 2023, except in special projects. Ecuador, known for its vast biodiversity, protects its national parks, which are rich in flora, fauna and natural resources, through international institutions and agreements such as UNESCO, CBD and CITES. Although reducing electrical consumption usually measures energy efficiency, this article goes further. It considers aspects such as the correlated color temperature in the lighting design of protected areas, light pollution and the decrease in energy quality due to harmonic distortion. Measurements of the electromagnetic spectrum of the light sources were made in an area in the Galápagos National Park of Ecuador, revealing highly correlated color temperatures that can affect ecosystem cycles. In addition, the investigation detected levels of light pollution increasing the night sky brightness and a notable presence of harmonic distortion in the electrical grid. Using simulations to predict the behavior of these variables offers an efficient option to help preserve protected environments and the quality of energy supply while promoting energy savings.

Impact of Deforestation on Water Quality in Cameroon

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of deforestation on water quality in Cameroon. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Deforestation in Cameroon significantly impacts water quality, as evidenced by increased sedimentation, higher pollutant levels, and elevated risks of waterborne diseases. Loss of forest cover reduces natural filtration capacities, leading to higher concentrations of contaminants in water sources. Alterations in hydrological patterns and changes in land use further exacerbate these issues, affecting water availability and aquatic habitats. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Hydrological cycle theory, land use/land cover change (LU/LC) theory & ecosystem services theory may be used to anchor future studies on impact of deforestation on water quality in Cameroon. Implement land-use planning measures that prioritize the conservation and sustainable management of forest ecosystems, including protected area designation, forest restoration initiatives, and sustainable forest management practices. Develop and enforce policies that incentivize forest conservation and sustainable land management practices, such as payment for ecosystem services schemes, land-use zoning regulations, and carbon offset programs.

Analysis of Priority Conservation Areas Using Habitat Quality Models and MaxEnt Models.

This study investigated core habitat areas for yellow-throated martens (Martes flavigula) and leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), two endangered forest species sensitive to habitat fragmentation in Korea. Overlaying the InVEST-HQ and MaxEnt models, priority conservation areas were identified by analyzing gaps in currently protected areas. The InVEST-HQ model showed that habitat quality ranged from 0 to 0.86 on a scale from 0 to 1, and the majority of the most suitable areas on the Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map, designated as grade 1, were derived correctly. The MaxEnt model analysis accurately captured the ecological characteristics of the yellow-throated marten and the leopard cat and identified probable regions of occurrence. We analyzed the most suitable yellow-throated marten and leopard cat habitats by superimposing the two results. Gap analysis determined gaps in existing protected areas and identified priority conservation areas. The core area (14.7%) was mainly distributed in forests such as the Baekdudaegan Mountains Reserve in regions such as Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, and Gangwon; 12.9% was outside protected areas, and only 1.8% was protected. The overlap results between protected and non-protected areas were compared with different land use types. Conservation priority areas were identified as those with more than 95% forest cover, offering an appropriate habitat for the two species. These findings can be used to identify priority conservation areas through objective habitat analysis and as a basis for protected area designation and assessment of endangered species habitat conservation, thereby contributing to biodiversity and ecosystem conservation.

Exposure of wetlands important for nonbreeding waterbirds to sea-level rise in the Mediterranean.

Sea-level rise (SLR) is expected to cause major changes to coastal wetlands, which are among the world's most vulnerable ecosystems and are critical for nonbreeding waterbirds. Because strategies for adaptation to SLR, such as nature-based solutions and designation of protected areas, can locally reduce the negative effects of coastal flooding under SLR on coastal wetlands, it is crucial to prioritize adaptation efforts, especially for wetlands of international importance for biodiversity. We assessed the exposure of coastal wetlands important for nonbreeding waterbirds to projected SLR along the Mediterranean coasts of 8 countries by modeling future coastal flooding under 7 scenarios of SLR by 2100 (from 44- to 161-cm rise) with a static inundation approach. Exposure to coastal flooding under future SLR was assessed for 938 Mediterranean coastal sites (≤30km from the coastline) where 145 species of nonbreeding birds were monitored as part of the International Waterbird Census and for which the monitoring area was delineated by a polygon (64.3% of the coastal sites monitored in the Mediterranean region). Thirty-four percent of sites were threatened by future SLR, even under the most optimistic scenarios. Protected study sites and study sites of international importance for waterbirds were, respectively, 1.5 and 2 times more exposed to SLR than the other sites under the most optimistic scenario. Accordingly, we advocate for the development of a prioritization scheme to be applied to these wetlands for the implementation of strategies for adaptation to SLR to anticipate the effects of coastal flooding. Our study provides major guidance for conservation planning under global change in several countries of the Mediterranean region.

Combining environmental DNA and visual surveys can inform conservation planning for coral reefs

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has the potential to revolutionize conservation planning by providing spatially and taxonomically comprehensive data on biodiversity and ecosystem conditions, but its utility to inform the design of protected areas remains untested. Here, we quantify whether and how identifying conservation priority areas within coral reef ecosystems differs when biodiversity information is collected via eDNA analyses or traditional visual census records. We focus on 147 coral reefs in Indonesia's hyper-diverse Wallacea region and show large discrepancies in the allocation and spatial design of conservation priority areas when coral reef species were surveyed with underwater visual techniques (fishes, corals, and algae) or eDNA metabarcoding (eukaryotes and metazoans). Specifically, incidental protection occurred for 55% of eDNA species when targets were set for species detected by visual surveys and 71% vice versa. This finding is supported by generally low overlap in detection between visual census and eDNA methods at species level, with more overlap at higher taxonomic ranks. Incomplete taxonomic reference databases for the highly diverse Wallacea reefs, and the complementary detection of species by the two methods, underscore the current need to combine different biodiversity data sources to maximize species representation in conservation planning.

습지보호지역의 지정에 따른 보상과 생태계서비스지불제 계약

The Wetland Conservation Act was enacted in 1999 as an implementation law of the Ramsar Convention to efficiently conserve and manage wetlands that are a treasure trove of biodiversity and have the function of purifying pollutants. Designation of wetland protection areas and restrictions on activities under the Wetland Conservation Act are inevitable regulations to achieve the public interest purpose of wetland conservation, but since a significant portion of Korea's inland wetlands are private land, it creates the problem of restrictions on the exercise of ownership rights for land owners. The Wetlands Conservation Act only recognizes the provision of compensation for losses suffered due to wetland surveys and the right to claim purchase by land owners. However, it is appropriate for Korea's Wetland Conservation Act to also establish a new regulation that recognizes claims for compensation in cases where land cannot be used for its original purpose due to designation as a wetland protection area or when the owner incurs property loss due to restrictions on land use.
 There is a need to expand the introduction of economic incentive policies that have the effect of improving the efficiency of environmental conservation policies or promoting innovation based on the voluntariness of economic actors. The introduction of the contract of payment for ecosystem service under the Biodiversity Act, which took effect in 2020, has the purpose of shifting the paradigm of environmental conservation from regulation-centered to incentive-based. In order for the contract of payment for ecosystem service to be activated in the future, supplementation or expansion is necessary in terms of contract recipients, contract target area, target business type, and contract period. Private landowners within wetland protection areas can alleviate or supplement problems such as restrictions on land ownership by signing an contract of payment for ecosystem service to create and manage wetlands and receive compensation. However, since this is a factual problem and not a fundamental legal solution, provisions such as compensation should be enacted in the Wetland Conservation Act.
 In addition, wetland conservation and management can be strengthened through contract of payment for ecosystem service, so active use of this is necessary. Since the limitations of wetland conservation management under the Wetland Conservation Act can be supplemented through contract of payment for ecosystem services under the Biological Diversity Act, there is a need to actively utilize contract of payment for ecosystem service. The contract of payment for ecosystem service can efficiently conserve and manage wetlands based on cooperation and active management activities with land owners.

Integration approaches for overlapping protected areas in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, China

Overlapping protected areas, where the same land is designated as more than one type of protected area, is a widespread issue that complicates the management and effectiveness of the protected area network. Systematically assessing the extent of overlap, along with their effective integration, is crucial for enhancing the effectiveness of protected areas in meeting conservation objectives. We take the Qinghai- Xizang Plateau as a case study, conducting a quantitative assessment of the spatial relationships among six distinct categories of protected areas. We compare the efficacy of two scenarios aimed at integrating overlapping protected areas. Scenario 1 is based on the protection level and categories of protected area and Scenario 2 considers the conservation objectives in addition to Scenario 1. Our findings reveal that 240 (45.6%) protected areas on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau experience overlap, encompassing about 6.6% of the total area of the protected areas. Notably, over 50% of geo-parks, scenic spots, and forest parks are affected by overlap. While both scenarios yielded comparable outcomes in terms of the overall number and area of integrated protected areas, they differed in their effectiveness across different categories. Compared to Scenario 1, Scenario 2 is more effective in 31 overlapping protected areas that match the conservation objectives. This study offers valuable insights and a reference for China and other nations grappling with the challenges of overlapping protected area designations, which will ultimately improve the efficiency of the protected area network.

Impact Analysis of Human Activities on Mangrove Conservation in Coastal Sulawesi

Mangrove ecosystems are invaluable coastal habitats that provide essential ecological services and support diverse flora and fauna. However, human activities have increasingly threatened the sustainability of these ecosystems, particularly in regions like Coastal Sulawesi, Indonesia. This qualitative analysis investigates the impact of human activities on mangrove conservation in Coastal Sulawesi, employing semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. The study reveals that drivers such as aquaculture expansion, unsustainable logging, pollution, and coastal development are contributing to mangrove degradation. Stakeholder perspectives vary, with local communities emphasizing the importance of mangroves for livelihoods and culture, while government officials stress the need for balancing conservation with economic development. Existing conservation efforts include protected area designation, community-based management projects, and awareness-raising campaigns. Collaborative action involving government, NGOs, academia, and local communities is essential to promote sustainable mangrove conservation in Coastal Sulawesi.