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Title: Dynamic priorities for conserving species
Protected areas serve to preserve the remaining biodiversity on our planet. However, today, only about 14% of terrestrial lands are protected, which will not be sufficient to support the planet’s fabric of life into the future ( 1 , 2 ). Humans continue to encroach on the habitats of many plants and animals. Simultaneously, the environmental conditions within protected areas are changing because of shifting climates, pollution, and invasive species, which all fundamentally alter ecosystems globally. To effectively conserve biodiversity, researchers and policy-makers must critically reexamine both the lands being preserved and the protection strategies being used in conservation. On pages 1094 and 1101 of this issue, Allan et al. ( 3 ) and Brennan et al. ( 4 ), respectively, evaluate the preservation capacity of today’s protected areas in different but complementary ways. Allan et al. estimate the minimum land area necessary to support today’s terrestrial biodiversity, whereas Brennan et al. identify the connectedness necessary to allow wildlife to successfully adapt to global change.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2124770 1945013 1655898
PAR ID:
10389176
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Science
Volume:
376
Issue:
6597
ISSN:
0036-8075
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1048 to 1049
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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