| dc.description.abstract | Protected areas are a cornerstone of conservation efforts to prevent biodiversity
loss. Aichi Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity called for the area of
protected areas to be increased to 17% of terrestrial and inland water and 10% of coastal
and marine areas. It also called for those protected areas to be effectively managed,
representative, and well-connected by 2020. These three qualities are crucial to
conserving biodiversity within protected areas. This literature review has critically
assessed the status of each of these qualities for the global protected area network.
This review examined why these qualities are vital to biodiversity conservation,
how they are measured, their current extent of implementation, what the gaps in the data
are, and what barriers are impeding their progress. Overall, studies indicate that the
quality of protected areas has not kept up with the quantity. Approximately one-fifth of
protected areas have effective management, just over half of the protected areas could be
considered connected, and approximately one-third of ecosystems have adequate
representation. This is to the detriment of effective biodiversity conservation.
For protected areas to realize their potential in biodiversity conservation, the
qualities of the current and expanding protected area network need to be improved. It is
recommended that efforts be concentrated toward increased collaboration and
communication, increased financial resources, improved data quality, and the use of
systematic conservation planning. | en_US |
