A global campaign to expand protected areas is underway, triggered by the adoption of the Kunming- Montreal Global Biodiversity pact in 2022. Described by backers as a “landmark deal for biodiversity and people,” the deal calls for conserving at least 30% of the planet’s land and water. This has injected an urgency into the task of assessing the global experience with existing protected areas (PAs) with an eye on biodiversity preservation and human welfare. A new paper in the journal Current Biology attempts to track how PAs fare on both fronts. “Protected areas, on average, do not have a negative impact on local economic growth,” said Binbin Li, first author of the new study. Li is an environmental scientist at Duke Kunshan University in China. Children in Rira village within the Bale mountain National park enjoy their day in natural environment. Stud y says Protected areas, in general, do not have a negative impact on local economic growth. Image by Solomon Yimer for Mongabay It is a finding that is sure to attract the attention of environmentalists, conservation practitioners and the wider conservation world. However, experts say this must be interpreted with abundant caution and not viewed as a blanket endorsement of PAs. Setting aside areas like national parks and wildlife reserves is one of the most widely used conservation strategies by national governments and a keystone of the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework. However, national priorities don’t always reflect the will or needs of the local populations most impacted by creating…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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