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Emerging Challenges to Protected Areas Management

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability, Biodiversity and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2023) | Viewed by 8943

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Brandon P. Anthony

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Guest Editor

Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Central European University, Quellenstrasse 51-55, 1100 Vienna, Austria
Interests: human-wildlife conflicts; protected area management; management effectiveness evaluation; human-nature interactions; amphibian monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Eszter Tormáné Kovács

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Guest Editor

Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Management, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Interests: socio-economic aspects of nature and biodiversity conservation; ecosystem services; conservation conflicts; participatory processes; financing nature conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Protected areas (PAs) are considered a key area-based measure for conserving biological diversity and ensuring both the representation and persistence of the world’s biomes. Although the number and spatial extent of PAs have increased since the 1970s, PAs and PA networks have faced both ongoing and emerging challenges in recent years. PA management teams are increasingly confronted with a myriad of challenges, including, inter alia:

SARS-CoV-2 and other zoonotic diseases;
Climate change adaptation;
Spread of invasive species;
Habitat fragmentation due to infrastructure development;
Over-exploitation of resources both within and adjacent to PAs;
Shrinking national budgets allocated for PAs;
Lack of resources in terms of staff and expertise;
Protected area Downgrading, Downsizing, and Degazettement (PADDD);
Stakeholder and governance conflicts;
Corruption (endogenous and exogenous);
Armed conflict;
Conflicting management objectives;
Harmonising development and conservation;
Managing tourism;
Adaptive management and co-management.

These issues often have both additive and cumulative impacts, which create particularly complex operational environments. Thus, there is a need for novel and innovative solutions to enable the realization of PA management objectives.

This Special Issue welcomes papers that describe some of these challenges and how PA management teams attempt to overcome them. Using case studies from both terrestrial and marine PAs around the world, this Issue seeks to highlight some of the more ubiquitous and unique emerging challenges that many PAs are facing as well as the pioneering approaches being considered and implemented to safeguard these areas for current and future generations.

Prof. Dr. Brandon P. Anthony
Dr. Eszter Tormáné Kovács
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

protected areas
management effectiveness
biodiversity conservation

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 221 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Challenges to Protected and Conserved Areas: Wicked Solutions Needed for Wicked Problems

by Brandon P. Anthony and Eszter Tormáné Kovács

Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16635; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416635 - 07 Dec 2023

Viewed by 548

Abstract

Protected and conserved areas (PCAs) are considered a key area-based measure for conserving biological diversity and ensuring the representation and persistence of the world’s biomes [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Challenges to Protected Areas Management)

Research

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32 pages, 1624 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Collaborative Conservation for Inclusive, Equitable, and Effective Systems of Protected and Conserved Areas—Insights from Brazil

by Cláudio C. Maretti, Sueli Angelo Furlan, Marta de Azevedo Irving, Yasmin Xavier Guimarães Nasri, Camila Gonçalves de Oliveira Rodrigues, Beatriz Barros Aydos, Rodrigo Martins dos Santos, Erika Guimarães, Carlos Eduardo Marinelli, Juliana C. Fukuda, Ângela Cruz Guirao, Luciano Régis Cardoso, Elizabeth Oliveira, Edilaine A. de Moraes, Érika Fernandes-Pinto, Ana Celina Tiburcio, Paula Chamy P. da Costa and Sidnei Raimundo

Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16609; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416609 - 06 Dec 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1684

Abstract

Protected and conserved areas (PCAs) are increasingly recognized as essential tools for their effectiveness in conservation and the benefits they provide. However, their challenges are still significant. The concepts, legislation, and governance surrounding PCAs are the results of social contexts. Due to the evolution of scientific knowledge, human rights, and diversified demands, new approaches are necessary to fulfill their functions. To better understand the context and possibilities, a study group was established to evaluate the current research, exchange experiences, guide dialogues, and identify lessons from experiences. The core of the experiences and cases considered and the reflections developed focused on the Brazilian context. This article analyzes the collected information and reflections related to several themes associated with challenges. The results reinforce the importance of PCAs but warn about the limitations of current conservation strategies to respond to social actors’ expectations, the needs of the vulnerable social groups, and evolving demands. The complexity of PCA systems is evident in view of the multiplicity of interests, potential contributions, and possibilities for participatory arrangements. There is a need to improve management and governance conceptions to promote the reconnection between society and nature. Therefore, the concept of collaborative conservation is proposed as an instrumental approach to advance towards inclusive and effective conservation strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Challenges to Protected Areas Management)

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19 pages, 4564 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Perceived Social Impacts of Protected Areas, Their Influence on Local Public Support and Their Distribution across Social Groups: Evidence from the Eifel National Park, Germany, during the COVID-19 Pandemic

by James McGinlay, Jens Holtvoeth, Alfie Begley, Juliana Dörstel, Anne Kockelmann, Michael Lammertz, Chrysovalantis Malesios and Nikoleta Jones

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 10848; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151410848 - 11 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 988

Abstract

Protected Areas are a cornerstone of biodiversity conservation policies, providing significant benefits both for nature and people. This study investigates the diversity, extent, and social and spatial distribution of the social outcomes of the Eifel National Park in Germany and how these are linked with the level of public support for the park, as well as the effect of COVID-19 on these social impacts. Structured questionnaires were distributed to local residents living inside or near the national park. According to our study the national park is rated positively by the majority of respondents, and provides a range of benefits, but also costs, to local communities. There are also variations in how these impacts are distributed across different sub-communities, between residents and visitors, and across geographical locations in and around the park, and there is a significant relationship between local people’s perceptions of some social impacts and their level of support for the national park’s existence. Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that, whilst living in close proximity to the park enhances the quality of life of local residents, any future increases in tourism may need careful planning and management if they are not to erode local people’s quality of life. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Challenges to Protected Areas Management)

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18 pages, 2761 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Opportunities and Barriers to Monitoring and Evaluating Management Effectiveness in Protected Areas within the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, South Africa

by Georgina V. E. Wilson and Brandon P. Anthony

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5838; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075838 - 28 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1342

Abstract

Protected areas (PAs) that are not effectively managed will not contribute meaningfully to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3, which aims to ensure that a minimum of 30 per cent of terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine areas are effectively conserved and managed. Our study examined the monitoring and evaluation of protected area management effectiveness (PAME) as part of an adaptive management process in the Kruger to Canyons (K2C) Biosphere Region in South Africa. Our mixed methods approach, using online questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups, revealed that most PA managers in the network were familiar with the concept of adaptive management. The most widely used PAME evaluation tool used in the region was the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT). Some PAs did not use a formal tool but gathered scientific data using methods such as game counts and vegetation surveys to judge management effectiveness. Additionally, several managers that did not use a formal tool mentioned that they were constrained by time, staff capacity or budget. The introduction of a simpler tool for managers that are time- or resource-constrained or who are working in a newly declared or in-process PA may improve PAME evaluation within the network. We suggest that there is a need for improved communication, co-learning, and information sharing regarding PAME evaluation tools. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Challenges to Protected Areas Management)

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19 pages, 1492 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in the Vegetation, Soil Seed Bank and Soil Properties at Bait Sites in a Protected Area of the Central European Lower Montane Zone

by Katalin Rusvai, Barnabás Wichmann, Dénes Saláta, Viktor Grónás, Julianna Skutai and Szilárd Czóbel

Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13134; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013134 - 13 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1081

Abstract

Feeding places for shooting wild boar (so-called bait sites) are spreading in some regions and they have a growing impact on natural ecosystems. Bait sites were investigated to detect the changes in vegetation, the soil seed bank and soil nutrients. The study area is situated in the Mátra Landscape Protection Area, representing a typical oak forest in the Central European lower montane zone (in Hungary). Two types of bait sites were selected: forests and clearings. A vegetation survey, a soil seed bank experiment and a soil analysis were conducted. The degree of degradation of vegetation was similar at the various bait sites, but only the abundance of weeds was higher in the clearings. The density of weed seeds in the soil varied regardless of type, clearly showing the effects of artificial seed sources. The number of weed species was, however, significantly higher in the clearings. The degree of Jaccard-similarity between the vegetation and the seed bank was the highest in the clearings. The dominance of long-term persistent seeds did not differ among bait sites, indicating frequent disturbances at these sites. The amount of soil nutrients was significantly (more than 10 times) higher in the clearings and this, along with their greater openness, may be responsible for the higher number of weed species in their seed banks. The vegetation and the soil of the clearings proved to be more degraded, mainly due to their habitat characteristics, but the seed bank was similarly infected in the less weedy forests; thus, all bait sites may equally be the focal points of a possible invasion. It means new challenges for the management, considering that climate change and the intensive logging and hunting activities can strengthen the effects of bait sites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Challenges to Protected Areas Management)

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15 pages, 1856 KiB

Open AccessPerspective

A Conceptual Framework for Biodiversity Monitoring Programs in Conservation Areas

by Daniel T. Dalton, Vanessa Berger, Vanessa Adams, Judith Botha, Stephan Halloy, Hanns Kirchmeir, Andrej Sovinc, Klaus Steinbauer, Vid Švara and Michael Jungmeier

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6779; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086779 - 17 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2404

Abstract

Maintaining and improving the state of biodiversity is a primary factor guiding management activities in conservation areas, including protected areas (PAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). Due to the complex nature of conservation programs, a common management approach cannot be prescribed. Robust monitoring programs supporting management activities are required to evaluate the state of species and habitats. However, limited resources, poor data management practices, and competing requirements of stakeholder groups increase the challenges that must be addressed through realization of monitoring programs. We propose a framework of seven basic questions to guide conservation area managers to implement effective biodiversity monitoring techniques. The result is identification of indicators, site characteristics, and resources to promote the development of a biodiversity monitoring program. We call for adoption of a strategic guideline providing this framework to harmonize decision making processes across national and international networks. Implementation of this robust framework will support comparative monitoring data, contributing to systematic approaches for adaptive management in PAs and OECMs and improving the body of knowledge surrounding global biodiversity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Challenges to Protected Areas Management)

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