Shortfalls and Solutions for Meeting National and Global Conservation Area Targets

Issue Date

2-2015

Abstract

Governments have committed to conserving ≥17% of terrestrial and ≥10% of marine environments globally, especially "areas of particular importance for biodiversity" through "ecologically representative" Protected Area (PA) systems or other "area-based conservation measures", while individual countries have committed to conserve 3-50% of their land area. We estimate that PAs currently cover 14.6% of terrestrial and 2.8% of marine extent, but 59-68% of ecoregions, 77-78% of important sites for biodiversity, and 57% of 25,380 species have inadequate coverage. The existing 19.7 million km2 terrestrial PA network needs only 3.3 million km2 to be added to achieve 17% terrestrial coverage. However, it would require nearly doubling to achieve, cost-efficiently, coverage targets for all countries, ecoregions, important sites, and species. Poorer countries have the largest relative shortfalls. Such extensive and rapid expansion of formal PAs is unlikely to be achievable. Greater focus is therefore needed on alternative approaches, including community- and privately managed sites and other effective area-based conservation measures.

Source or Periodical Title

Conservation Letters

Volume

8

Issue

5

Page

329-337

Document Type

Article

Physical Description

illustrations, graphs

Language

English

Subject

Aichi Targets, Alliance for Zero Extinction, Convention on Biological Diversity, Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, IUCN Red List, Key Biodiversity Areas, Protected areas

Identifier

doi:10.1111/conl.12158.

Digital Copy

yes

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