Not All 'Protected Areas' Will Help Wildlife?

The case for countering climate change is well established. People are starting to recognise, however, that nature has to be conserved to maintain a viable planet. Perhaps, 30% of the Earth's surface should be allocated to protecting wildlife? A study of wetland bird data from more than 1,500 protected areas located around the globe, indicates that things are not quite so simple (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/20/protected-areas-dont-always-benefit-wildlife-global-study-finds-aoe). This, very substantial wetland study, looked at more than 27,000 bird populations. Many of the protected areas and National Parks worked well. However, increased provision for the birds, didn't always help particular species. Effective management appeared to be the crucial ingredient. Setting up/specifying protected areas, without providing management, was sometimes ineffective. Although this study focused on wetland birds (there is lots of long-term data on this topic), effective management is also likely to be crucial for other species. Management is, of course, something requiring continued investment in resources, training and expertise. Saving biodiversity won't just be a matter of labelling areas 'protected'!