The Effectiveness of Protected Areas in Conserving Globally Threatened Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus.

ABSTRACT: Protected areas are a critical tool to conserve biodiversity in the face of the global crisis of species extinction. Here, we present the first ever management effectiveness assessment of Pakistan's Protected Areas (PAs). We link these assessments to the delivery of conservation outcomes focusing on the threatened Western Tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) endemic to Pakistan and India. We used two approaches, first mapping the spatial distribution of potential habitat coverage using machine learning ensemble models and second, an assessment of the management effectiveness of protected areas. Our results show that only Machiara National Park scored just above 40% (indicating relatively weak management), 22 of the PAs fell within the 25-50% quantile (indicating weak management), and 3 score

SUBMITTER: Awan MN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7999559 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature