Mixed effects of a national protected area network on terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity

Andrea Santangeli (), Benjamin Weigel, Laura H. Antão, Elina Kaarlejärvi, Maria Hällfors, Aleksi Lehikoinen, Andreas Lindén, Maija Salemaa, Tiina Tonteri, Päivi Merilä, Kristiina Vuorio, Otso Ovaskainen, Jarno Vanhatalo, Tomas Roslin and Marjo Saastamoinen
Additional contact information
Andrea Santangeli: University of Helsinki
Benjamin Weigel: University of Helsinki
Laura H. Antão: University of Helsinki
Elina Kaarlejärvi: University of Helsinki
Maria Hällfors: University of Helsinki
Aleksi Lehikoinen: University of Helsinki
Andreas Lindén: Natural Resources Institute (LUKE)
Maija Salemaa: Natural Resources Institute (LUKE)
Tiina Tonteri: Natural Resources Institute (LUKE)
Päivi Merilä: Natural Resources Institute (LUKE)
Kristiina Vuorio: Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
Otso Ovaskainen: University of Helsinki
Jarno Vanhatalo: University of Helsinki
Tomas Roslin: University of Helsinki
Marjo Saastamoinen: University of Helsinki

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Protected areas are considered fundamental to counter biodiversity loss. However, evidence for their effectiveness in averting local extinctions remains scarce and taxonomically biased. We employ a robust counterfactual multi-taxon approach to compare occupancy patterns of 638 species, including birds (150), mammals (23), plants (39) and phytoplankton (426) between protected and unprotected sites across four decades in Finland. We find mixed impacts of protected areas, with only a small proportion of species explicitly benefiting from protection—mainly through slower rates of decline inside protected areas. The benefits of protection are enhanced for larger protected areas and are traceable to when the sites were protected, but are mostly unrelated to species conservation status or traits (size, climatic niche and threat status). Our results suggest that the current protected area network can partly contribute to slow down declines in occupancy rates, but alone will not suffice to halt the biodiversity crisis. Efforts aimed at improving coverage, connectivity and management will be key to enhance the effectiveness of protected areas towards bending the curve of biodiversity loss.

Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-41073-4

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41073-4

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