Key Findings on Biodiversity Decline in Protected Areas

Source: This post on Key Findings on Biodiversity Decline in Protected Areas has been created based on the article “Why ‘protected’ areas are seeing faster biodiversity decline” published in Indian Express on 26th October 2024.

Why in news?

A recent study by the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London has uncovered that biodiversity is declining faster within protected areas than outside them. The research highlights that designating land as “protected” does not guarantee positive outcomes for biodiversity preservation. Here’s a breakdown of the findings and their implications:

Key findings of study

1. Objective of the study: Examine biodiversity trends in protected versus non-protected areas.

2. Measure Used for the study: Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII), which gauges the remaining natural biodiversity in a region.

3. Global Decline: The BII has dropped by 1.88 percentage points globally from 2000 to 2020.

4. Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs): Within critical ecosystems (wetlands, unique habitats), 22% are protected.

5. Protected vs. Non-Protected Decline: In CBAs, biodiversity declined by 2.1 percentage points in protected areas compared to 1.9 points in non-protected areas.

Why Protected Areas Are Failing

1. Narrow Focus of Protection: Many protected areas target specific species rather than entire ecosystems, leading to incomplete conservation efforts.

2. Pre-existing Degradation: Some areas were already degraded when they were designated as protected, which might contribute to the continued biodiversity loss.

3. Resource Exploitation: Oil, gas, and mining concessions overlap with protected lands, particularly in biodiversity-rich regions like the Conkouati-Douli National Park in the Republic of Congo, where 65% of the park is used for resource extraction.

4. Climate Change Impacts: The climate crisis, through increased droughts and wildfires, exacerbates biodiversity loss in protected areas. Notably, Australian national parks experienced significant wildfire destruction in 2019.

Recommendations for Policymakers

1. Strengthen Conservation Efforts: Policymakers must go beyond simply designating land as protected; conservation should aim for robust ecosystem preservation.

2. Focus on 30×30 Goal: Countries should remain committed to the “30×30” target from Biodiversity COP15 to conserve 30% of lands and oceans by 2030, with a stronger emphasis on ecosystem-level protection.

UPSC Syllabus: Environment