In Search of Long-Term Conservation: Objectives, Effectiveness, and Participation Schemes in Protected Areas

Vázquez-Quesada, Benito; Jiménez, Daniel Torres-Orozco

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-47264-1_4

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Though VCAs, and by extension UMAs, are smaller units and may alone lack the capacity to solely offer protection for larger-bodied carnivores that exhibit large home ranges (Ripple et al, 2014), they can help reinforce connectivity when located near adjacent PAs or when linked with wildlife corridors (Saura et al, 2019). Moreover, these area-based conservation approaches are exemplary in centering proprietors’ needs through a shared governance structure to reach biodiversity targets, which support the departure from conventional conservation strategies and paradigm shift towards a more inclusive and effective conservation methodologies (Vazquez-Quesada & Jiménez, 2020; Peña-Azcona et al, 2022). UMAs, for example, allow for traditional hunting efforts by local communities to continue while simultaneously implementing local biodiversity targets (Ortega-Argueta et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Key unprotected areas for carnivore conservation in Mexico

Gonzalez,

Harris

2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Area-based conservation remains a pivotal component of global wildlife protection efforts. Mexico hosts a diverse array of area-based approaches, encompassing protected areas (PAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) such as voluntary conservation areas (VCAs) and wildlife management units (UMAs). Indigenous Territories (ITs) also provide heightened conservation potential through traditional ecological knowledge systems. These conservation spaces exhibit significant variations in community involvement, national coverage, and governance. Here, we evaluate the conservation potential of these land management types for 29 terrestrial carnivores, focusing on spatial co-occurrence. We determine areas in Mexico lacking area-based protection and calculate carnivore richness per land management type. Analyzing overlap between land management types and carnivore ranges, we employ heat maps to visualize overlap occurrence and key unprotected areas. We found that across all carnivore ranges, 87% of the area remains unprotected under designated protection areas (PAs & VCAs), decreasing to 65.2% after including non-designated types (ITs and UMAs). We identified several key gaps in the protection estate for Mexican carnivores, most notably on the eastern Mexican coast in the state of Veracruz. Our findings corroborate the importance of including Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in conservation efforts, emphasizing their contributions to the stewardship of Mexican ecosystems. As the global protected area estate continues to expand under the post-2020 global biodiversity targets, and the importance of a well-designed and diverse portfolio of practices for conservation is recognized, the need for collective action, increased collaboration and inclusivity, and effective communication amongst stakeholders become necessary for carnivore conservation.

show abstract