Protected areas are one of the main tools for halting the continuing global biodiversity crisis [1][2][3][4] caused by habitat loss, fragmentation and other anthropogenic pressures [5][6][7][8] . According to the Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity, the protected area network should be expanded to at least 17% of the terrestrial world by 2020 (http://www.cbd.int/sp/targets). To maximize conservation outcomes, it is crucial to identify the best expansion areas. Here we show that there is a very high potential to increase protection of ecoregions and vertebrate species by expanding the protected area network, but also identify considerable risk of ineffective outcomes due to land-use change and uncoordinated actions between countries. We use distribution data for 24,757 terrestrial vertebrates assessed under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 'red list of threatened species' 9 , and terrestrial ecoregions 10 (827), modified by land-use models for the present and 2040, and introduce techniques for global and balanced spatial conservation prioritization. First, we show that with a coordinated global protected area network expansion to 17% of terrestrial land, average protection of species ranges and ecoregions could triple. Second, if projected landuse change by 2040 (ref. 11) takes place, it becomes infeasible to reach the currently possible protection levels, and over 1,000 threatened species would lose more than 50% of their present effective ranges worldwide. Third, we demonstrate a major efficiency gap between national and global conservation priorities. Strong evidence is shown that further biodiversity loss is unavoidable unless international action is quickly taken to balance land-use and biodiversity conservation. The approach used here can serve as a framework for repeatable and quantitative assessment of efficiency, gaps and expansion of the global protected area network globally, regionally and nationally, considering current and projected land-use pressures.Habitat loss and fragmentation due to intensifying land-use is one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss 7,8 . The global protected area (PA) network is one of the most important means to halt such loss [1][2][3][4] . Adoption of the strategic Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD; http://www.cbd.int/sp/targets) provides a unique opportunity for expanding the current PA network to cover 17% of the terrestrial areas by 2020. At present, global patterns in biodiversity and global priority areas for conservation at the regional scale are relatively well known 1,6,8,[12][13][14][15][16] , but spatial assessments are essential 13,14 to maximize global conservation outcomes from PA expansion.Here, we carried out a comprehensive assessment of priority areas for expanding the current global PA network, and quantified their potential contribution to global conservation. We present a prioritization of the global PA network expansion to 17% that shows...

CONTEXT. Land use decisions are essential for reaching of biodiversity conservation targets. Usually, conservation is planned separately from other land use, using specialised approaches such as spatial conservation planning and prioritisation (SCP). This separation of processes makes it difficult to optimise between competing land uses or to plan for land sharing solutions. OBJECTIVES: We present a real-life planning case where SCP was integrated to regional planning process from early on. The aim is (i) to present the process and its results, and (ii) based on the experiences, to evaluate and discuss the potential and challenges of integrating SCP to a general land use planning. METHODS: We present the regional planning of the Helsinki-Uusimaa region in Finland where SCP was integrated as part of the general land use planning process between 2014 and 2018. We applied Zonation software and a diverse collection of spatial biodiversity data and carry out various spatial prioritizations guided by planners and environmental experts. We compared the priority areas to future plans (Uusmaa 2050). RESULTS: We show high spatial variation of biodiversity in Uusimaa region and SCP is able to highlight sites of high importance for biodiversity aware planning. Roughly 70% of biodiversity is outside protection by the Uusimaa 2050 plan draft.CONCLUSIONS: While SCP is relatively well-known by ecologists and nature conservationists, its concepts, framework, and tools are usually not familiar to general land use planners. Integration of SCP can yield to better decisions, but new practices require sufficient resourcing and tight collaboration between the parties.