Shocking study shows one third of world's protected areas degraded by human activities

[Judi Lynn]

2.3 million square miles -- twice the size of Alaska -- impacted by road building, grazing, and urbanization
Date:
May 17, 2018
Source:
Wildlife Conservation Society
Summary:
A shocking study confirms that one third of the world's protected areas -- an astonishing 2.3 million square miles or twice the size of the state of Alaska - are now under intense human pressure including road building, grazing, and urbanization.


A shocking study in the journal Science by the University of Queensland, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and University of Northern British Columbia confirms that one third of the world's protected areas -- an astonishing 2.3 million square miles or twice the size of the state of Alaska -- are now under intense human pressure including road building, grazing, and urbanization.

The study is a reality check for nations striving to meet commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to halt biodiversity loss through protected area creation. Since 1992, the global extent of protected areas has roughly doubled in size; more than 202,000 cover more than 15 percent of the world's terrestrial area, with a goal of at least 17 percent coverage by 2020.

Though management objectives differ, ranging from strict biodiversity conservation areas to zones permitting certain human activities and sustainable resource extraction, the primary goal of all protected areas is to conserve nature.

The authors looked at global "Human Footprint" maps to make their assessment which shows that 32.8 percent of protected land is highly degraded. For protected areas created before the CBD was ratified 1992, 55 percent have since experienced human pressure increases. The authors warn that CBD goals will be severely undermined if widespread human pressure continues inside protected areas.

More:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180517143641.htm