Protected areas – national parks, wilderness areas, community conserved areas, nature reserves and so on – are a mainstay of biodiversity conservation, while also contributing to people’s livelihoods, particularly at the local level. Protected areas are at the core of efforts towards conserving nature and the services it provides us – food, clean water supply, medicines and protection from the impacts of natural disasters. Their role in helping mitigate and adapt to climate change is also increasingly recognized; it has been estimated that the global network of protected areas stores at least 15% of terrestrial carbon.

Common Threats to Protected Areas

Some of the most common threats to protected areas include: development and encroachment; agriculture-related threats such as conversion to plantations; energy-related threats; modification of natural ecosystems; invasive alien species; pollution; and climate change-related threats.

Related Issue and Strategies:

• The IUCN Global Protected Areas Programme
• Federal Marine Protected Areas Strategy
• Challanges for the Effective Management of Protective Area
• Problems with Current Protected Areas | WWF
• Campaign for Nature
• Digital Observatory for Protected Areas