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Assessing the role of protected areas in the land-use change dynamics of a biodiversity hotspot.

ABSTRACT: Although protected areas (PAs) are designed to safeguard natural ecosystems from anthropic modifications, many PAs worldwide are subjected to numerous human-induced impacts. We evaluated whether the establishment of PAs in the Upper Paraná River floodplain region could reduce anthropic landscape changes and whether there is a difference in protection when using different PA restriction categories. We analyzed the overall landscape dynamics using 30 years of land-use time series data and evaluated the change intensity via a partial land-use intensity analysis. Despite the increasing landscape anthropization, the PAs seemed to relieve the general change process, protecting natural areas mainly from agricultural expansion. Concerning the degree of use restriction, more restricted protection led to less human-induced changes. Finally, accessing PA effectiveness is a multidisciplinary challenge for researchers; however, this knowledge is crucial to avoid misunderstandings or poorly crafted public policies or decisions that may harm the environment.

SUBMITTER: Schmitz MH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10460765 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Assessing the role of protected areas in the land-use change dynamics of a biodiversity hotspot.

Schmitz Marcelo Henrique MH do Couto Edivando Vitor EV Xavier Erick Caldas EC Tomadon Leonardo da Silva LDS Leal Rodrigo Pedro RP Agostinho Angelo Antonio AA

Ambio 20230601 10

Although protected areas (PAs) are designed to safeguard natural ecosystems from anthropic modifications, many PAs worldwide are subjected to numerous human-induced impacts. We evaluated whether the establishment of PAs in the Upper Paraná River floodplain region could reduce anthropic landscape changes and whether there is a difference in protection when using different PA restriction categories. We analyzed the overall landscape dynamics using 30 years of land-use time series data and evaluate ...[more]

PMID: 37261644

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Project description:The little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) is a steppe bird strongly and negatively influenced by agricultural intensification in Europe. Here, we use the little bustard as a model species to examine how favourability (relative occurrence likelihood of a species based on environmental characteristics, such as habitat availability) varies regionally with degree of protection in north-western Spain. The Natura2000 network is one of the main biodiversity conservation tools of the European Union, aiming to protect areas hosting species of conservation concern from unfavourable land-use changes. The network covers many landscapes across the continent, including farmland. Additionally, we examine the relationship between trends in land-use favourability and little bustard population trends over a decade in the Nature Reserve of Lagunas de Villafáfila, a protected area also in the Natura2000 network where active and intense management focused on steppe bird conservation is carried out. Favourability was much greater in Villafáfila than in both protected areas with lower degree of protection and in non-protected areas. Land-use favourability increased slightly between 2011 and 2020 both in and out of protected areas, whereas little bustard populations declined sharply in that period, even in Villafáfila. Spatial variations in little bustard abundance within Villafáfila depended on social attraction (increasing with the number of neighbouring males) but not significantly on small-scale variations in land-use favourability. These results suggest that land-use management in Natura2000 areas needs to be more conservation-focused, favouring natural and seminatural habitats and traditional farming practices to improve land-use favourability for little bustards and other steppe birds. Additional factors, such as field-level agricultural management or social interaction variables that may cause an Allee effect, should be incorporated in little bustard favourability models to improve their use in conservation planning.

Dataset Information

Assessing the role of protected areas in the land-use change dynamics of a biodiversity hotspot.

Publications

Assessing the role of protected areas in the land-use change dynamics of a biodiversity hotspot.

Similar Datasets

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