Since 1990, designated protected area coverage has risen from 13.4 million km2 to 32 million km2. Protected areas now cover 15.4% of the world's land area and 3.4% of the global ocean area. Less well understood is how effective these areas actually are in conserving species, ecosystems, and ecosystem services. This book fosters a better understanding of the characteristics of areas which are more successful at conserving intact natural systems. This allows for the identification of conditions and management practices that contribute the most to this success.
Issuess addressed include:
- Reviewing the current portfolio of protected areas
- Examining the funding, management, and monitoring of protected areas
- Recognizing the most effective strategies currently in use and assessing their transferability
- Identifying the best tools and technologies available to ensure effective biodiversity preservation
- Defining the research agenda for the next decade of protected areas research
Intended for students and professionals working in biodiversity conservation and protected areas, as well as wildlife conservation professionals and decision makers, this book provides the first coherent review of the science of protected area impact assessment relative to biodiversity outcomes.
"[...] there is a fabulous wealth of information. Unlike many such textbooks, this book is admirably adorned with good figures and tables, and clearly a lot of work has gone into editing the contributions into a coherent whole. My criticism is that the book does not look beyond the bounds of people adversely changing biodiversity, largely through direct and indirect anthropogenic drivers. [...] This is a terrific book, and that's why I think this team should be encouraged to go much further."
– Des Thompson, BES Bulletin, Volume 48(4), December 2017