Area-based conservation in the twenty-first century

Sean L. Maxwell (), Victor Cazalis, Nigel Dudley, Michael Hoffmann, Ana S. L. Rodrigues, Sue Stolton, Piero Visconti, Stephen Woodley, Naomi Kingston, Edward Lewis, Martine Maron, Bernardo B. N. Strassburg, Amelia Wenger, Harry D. Jonas, Oscar Venter and James E. M. Watson
Additional contact information
Sean L. Maxwell: University of Queensland
Victor Cazalis: CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3
Nigel Dudley: University of Queensland
Michael Hoffmann: Zoological Society of London
Ana S. L. Rodrigues: CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3
Sue Stolton: Equilibrium Research
Piero Visconti: Zoological Society of London
Stephen Woodley: International Union for Conservation of Nature
Naomi Kingston: UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)
Edward Lewis: UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)
Martine Maron: University of Queensland
Bernardo B. N. Strassburg: Pontifícia Universidade Católica
Amelia Wenger: University of Queensland
Harry D. Jonas: International Union for Conservation of Nature
Oscar Venter: University of Northern British Columbia
James E. M. Watson: University of Queensland

Nature, 2020, vol. 586, issue 7828, 217-227

Abstract: Abstract Humanity will soon define a new era for nature—one that seeks to transform decades of underwhelming responses to the global biodiversity crisis. Area-based conservation efforts, which include both protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, are likely to extend and diversify. However, persistent shortfalls in ecological representation and management effectiveness diminish the potential role of area-based conservation in stemming biodiversity loss. Here we show how the expansion of protected areas by national governments since 2010 has had limited success in increasing the coverage across different elements of biodiversity (ecoregions, 12,056 threatened species, ‘Key Biodiversity Areas’ and wilderness areas) and ecosystem services (productive fisheries, and carbon services on land and sea). To be more successful after 2020, area-based conservation must contribute more effectively to meeting global biodiversity goals—ranging from preventing extinctions to retaining the most-intact ecosystems—and must better collaborate with the many Indigenous peoples, community groups and private initiatives that are central to the successful conservation of biodiversity. The long-term success of area-based conservation requires parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to secure adequate financing, plan for climate change and make biodiversity conservation a far stronger part of land, water and sea management policies.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2773-z

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