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Conservation

Mind the gaps

Nature volume 516, pages 336–337 (2014)Cite this article

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New analysis reveals the conservation gains that could be achieved by expanding the global network of protected areas — but also how this may be undermined by land-use change and a lack of international coordination. See Letter p.383

Humanity's best tool for safeguarding nature is the establishment of protected areas1. Such areas currently cover more than 15% of the terrestrial realm and thus are one of the most extensive uses of the world's land2. The Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 — set in 2010 under the Convention on Biological Diversity, a multilateral treaty with 194 parties — states that this proportion should be increased to 17% by 2020. Progress towards Target 11 was a key focus when the international protected-areas community convened in Sydney, Australia, in November 2014 for the sixth World Parks Congress. An analysis by Montesino Pouzols et al.3, published online during the congress and now on page 383 of this issue, has direct relevance to these ongoing discussions on protected-area policy and practice.

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Figure 1: Community protection.

ProAves Colombia

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  1. Thomas M. Brooks is at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland 1196, Switzerland.,

    Thomas M. Brooks

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  1. Thomas M. Brooks
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Correspondence to Thomas M. Brooks.

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Brooks, T. Mind the gaps. Nature 516, 336–337 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/516336a

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