‘A Geography of Arks’: Extending Park Networks Across 1% of Earth Could Save More Than 1,000 at-Risk Species

A new study by scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Durham University and Princeton University asserts that bolstering the protections of current conservation areas is as important for keeping biodiversity intact as establishing new protected areas, a press release from Durham University said.

The researchers found that, of the approximately 5,000 species studied, about 70 percent of them are either completely unrepresented in protected areas; are found in protected areas that have been downsized, downgraded or have lost their official status — known as PADDD events; or would be particularly at risk of extinction if land use were to shift in the future.

However, the team found that, by strengthening the protections that already exist in conservation areas, and enlarging current park networks across one percent of the land on Earth, crucial habitats for 1,191 wildlife species that are at a heightened risk of extinction can be protected.

“We looked at ~5000 species of terrestrial vertebrates and mapped out where their suitable habitats occur across the world. We find that of these species, 1463 species have less than 10% of their habitats currently in protected areas (which we feel is insufficient representation in protected areas), 2308 species have at least 100 hectares of their habitats falling within parks with documented PADDD events (which means some or all of their nominally protected habitat is not actually being protected), and 407 species have not been affected by PADDD events but are reliant on parks that might experience increased land use change in the future (that is, they occur in parks that are likely to experience degradation in the future),” lead author of the study Dr. Yiwen Zeng of NUS told EcoWatch in an email.

The study, “Gaps and weaknesses in the global protected area network for safeguarding at-risk species,” was published in the journal Science Advances.

When a government decides to take away some of the legal protections for a park and it is downgraded, downsized or “degazetted,” it can become more vulnerable to potentially damaging human activities. These can include mining, forest clearing for the expansion of infrastructure and other destructive actions.

“A majority of PADDD events globally are linked to industrial-scale resource extraction or development. In some cases, PADDD events are not necessarily harmful to biodiversity — for example, when countries restore land rights to displaced Indigenous people by giving them control over protected areas. But certainly in those cases where a protected area is downgraded in status or degazetted in order to make way for logging, mining, and other harmful extractive activities, biodiversity will be harmed,” Zeng told EcoWatch.

The study found that PADDD events have occurred on more than 687 million acres of parks as of 2021.

One example is the habitat of Cambodia’s critically endangered frog Megophrys damrei. The protected habitat sits within a national park, but is experiencing ongoing habitat loss and degradation.

“Unfortunately, across the world, nations are not doing an adequate job of protecting their parks, which leaves those special places open to habitat destruction. And in many cases, countries are downgrading the protected status they have given to parks.  So, as a result, lots of sensitive species suffer,” Zeng told EcoWatch.

The researchers found that if another 127 square miles of wild spaces in Indonesia were given protection, suitable habitats for 53 additional species that currently have limited, unprotected habitat could be preserved, the press release said.

The critically endangered songbird Sangihe golden bulbul is found in just one place on Earth: Sangihe Island in Indonesia. The entire population is estimated to be from 50 to 230 individuals living in one unprotected area. There have not been any of the birds documented on plantations, which suggests it only thrives in intact forests, meaning enhanced conservation would benefit the species.

“There are many wonderful examples in conservation of people fighting to protect species, but there is always a risk that when you take your eye off the ball, pressure builds, and hard-won protection is lost,” said Dr. Rebecca Senior of Durham University in the press release. “Designating parks on paper is not enough; they need to be in the right places, with the right management, and they need to last.”

It is a make or break time in human history to create and preserve protected areas in order to safeguard the world’s biodiversity.

“This study establishes a geography of arks: Where new parks can be created, and where to restore and reinforce existing parks, to boost wildlife conservation,” Zeng said in the press release. “Many global discussions on conservation rightfully center around the need to create new protected areas. These include discussions at the COP15 United Nations biodiversity conference in December 2022, where a target to protect 30% of the planet’s lands and seas was adopted. But our study also shows the importance of ensuring that protected areas remain effective at keeping out harmful human activity.”

So how would the expansion of park networks across only one percent of Earth’s land mass lead to the protection of essential habitats for nearly 1,200 species that are at risk of extinction?

“This can be achieved if the expansion and strengthening of park networks is done in key locations. These are locations that target places where the largest number of potentially vulnerable species occur. Note, however, that we are absolutely not saying that the world’s protected areas should be expanded by only 1%. For many reasons, we are big supporters of the 30×30 idea,” Zeng told EcoWatch.

What parts of the world contain the most potentially effective conservation areas that are not yet protected in terms of number of species?

“There are critical areas for biodiversity around the world that need protection. It’s not as though one continent or one country holds all or most of these places. Having said that, though, we can single out a few nations that can greatly contribute to saving the world’s biodiversity by protecting key places. These include Madagascar, Malaysia and Peru just to name a few examples,” Zeng said.

There are actions individuals can take to help strengthen the protection of existing parks, Zeng told EcoWatch.

“People need to let their political leaders know that they care about biodiversity and want to see more wild places protected to save species, sustain healthy ecosystems, and provide opportunities for people to connect with nature. And, of course, they can show their support for parks by visiting them and enjoying all they have to offer, just so long as they do so in accordance with park rules,” Zeng told EcoWatch.

Zeng emphasized that the bottom line is that effectively managed parks are essential to the planet’s biodiversity.

“There [have] been a lot of promising developments with the signing and adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This gives us a target and guide towards increasing biodiversity conservation efforts worldwide, but of course this needs to be backed up by action and proper financing as well. What is clear, though, is that parks need to be protected, and if they are not, they will be damaged or destroyed, and biodiversity will suffer,” Zeng said.