The impact of protected area governance and management capacity on ecosystem function in Central America.

ABSTRACT: Protected areas (PAs) are a prominent approach to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services. A critical question for safeguarding these resources is how PA governance processes and management structures influence their effectiveness. We conduct an impact evaluation of 12 PAs in three Central American countries to assess how processes in management restrictions, management capacity, and decentralization affect the annual change in the satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). NDVI varies with greenness that relates to plant production, biomass, and important ecosystem functions related to biodiversity and ecosystem services such as water quality and carbon storage. Any loss of vegetation cover in the form of deforestation or degradation would show

SUBMITTER: Munoz Brenes CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6193709 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature