Tropical Biodiversity

PAs have long been the cornerstone of global biodiversity conservation, but our results suggest that reserve designation alone is insufficient for conserving biodiversity. Our findings are consistent with management (rather than simple remoteness) enhancing vertebrate diversity inside and outside PAs. However other studies have demonstrated huge variance in management effectiveness, with many PAs being mere paper parks. Effective management of hunting presents a key opportunity to improve PA effectiveness, as does designating larger PAs that may enhance the spillover of animals (or conservation measures) to surrounding landscapes. The designation of new, large PAs could include traditional PAs such as national parks, but also the variety of “other effective area-based conservation measures” that are being explored as de facto means of increasing PA coverage in accordance with national and international targets. We echo earlier suggestions that the expansion of PAs must be accompanied by substantial investment in initiatives promoting hunting sustainability, such as capacity building for park staff and the creation of alternative livelihoods for hunters. Investment by way of forest-based carbon financing, with projects adhering to the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Standards, provides explicit provisions for biodiversity protection and community livelihoods including active control of hunting and encroachment, with such standards assessed during regular audits. Such measures can help ensure that reserves in less developed countries, and in the myriad areas susceptible to unsustainable hunting, can achieve the same conservation outcomes as those in more developed and less hunted areas.

Full article: Nature volume 620, pages 807–812 (2023).