Protected area acquisition costs show economies of scale with area

Kim, Taeyoung; Cho, Seong Hoon; Larson, Eric R.; Armsworth, Paul R.

doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.07.029

Cited by 23 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 57 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These PA site selection processes can be tailored to optimise various biotic and economic factors simultaneously. Currently, most conservation planning research focuses on selecting PA networks optimised for biodiversity coverage (Possingham et al, 2000;Venter et al, 2014), cost-effectiveness (McCarthy et al, 2012;Edwards et al, 2014;Kim et al, 2014) and the provision of ecosystem services (e.g. carbon sequestration; Runting et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why do we lose protected areas? Factors influencing protected area downgrading, downsizing and degazettement in the tropics and subtropics

Symes

Rao

Mascia

et al. 2015

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Protected areas (PAs) are an essential tool for the conservation of biodiversity globally. Previous studies have focussed on the effectiveness of PAs and the design of optimal PA networks. However, not all PAs remain intact permanently; many PAs undergo downgrading, downsizing and/or degazettement (PADDD), a fact largely ignored until recently. The drivers of enacted PADDD events and the factors influencing its spatial occurrence are poorly understood, potentially undermining the efficacy of PAs and PA networks. Here we examine the spatial relationship between PADDD and economic, demographic and structural variables, using a 110-year data set of 342 enacted PADDD events across 44 countries in the tropics and subtropics. We find that the probability of an enacted PADDD event increases with the size of the PA and through a synergistic interaction between PA size and local population densities. Our results are robust to the under-reporting of enacted PADDD events that occur among smaller PAs and in regions with lower population density. We find an economic motive for PADDD events, given that the opportunity costs associated with larger PAs are higher, on average, than smaller PAs. Our findings suggest a need for conservation practitioners to better consider PA characteristics, as well as the social, economic and political context in which PAs are situated, to aid the creation of more efficient and sustainable PA networks. In particular, the dynamics of enacted PADDD events highlight the need to explicitly consider PA robustness as a core component of systematic conservation planning for PA networks.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why do we lose protected areas? Factors influencing protected area downgrading, downsizing and degazettement in the tropics and subtropics

Symes

Rao

Mascia

et al. 2015

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition, such cost savings were realized within urbanizing landscapes, where ecological threats are great and the value of land is relatively high. Perhaps most importantly, we identified exactly how those cost savings were derived, which is not true of some other studies (Murdoch et al 2010;Kim et al 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of cost metric on cost‐effectiveness of protected‐area network design in urban landscapes

Burkhalter

Lockwood

Maslo

et al. 2015

Conservation Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A common goal in conservation planning is to acquire areas that are critical to realizing biodiversity goals in the most cost-effective manner. The way monetary acquisition costs are represented in such planning is an understudied but vital component to realizing cost efficiencies. We sought to design a protected-area network within a forested urban region that would protect 17 birds of conservation concern. We compared the total costs and spatial structure of the optimal protected-area networks produced using three acquisition-cost surrogates (area, agricultural land value, and tax-assessed land value). Using the tax-assessed land values there was a 73% and 78% cost savings relative to networks derived using area or agricultural land value, respectively. This cost reduction was due to the considerable heterogeneity in acquisition costs revealed in tax-assessed land values, especially for small land parcels, and the corresponding ability of the optimization algorithm to identify lower-cost parcels for inclusion that had equal value to our target species. Tax-assessed land values also reflected the strong spatial differences in acquisition costs (US$0.33/m(2)-$55/m(2)) and thus allowed the algorithm to avoid inclusion of high-cost parcels when possible. Our results add to a nascent but growing literature that suggests conservation planners must consider the cost surrogate they use when designing protected-area networks. We suggest that choosing cost surrogates that capture spatial- and size-dependent heterogeneity in acquisition costs may be relevant to establishing protected areas in urbanizing ecosystems.

show abstract

“…; Kim et al. ), so adding to or managing an additional hectare for a small reserve will cost more than managing a larger reserve. However, small reserves, more so than larger reserves, have the potential to be managed by local communities (Schelhas & Greenberg ; Schwartz & van Mantgem ; Kendal et al.…”

Section: Small Reserves Big Potentialmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With increasing landscape fragmentation and development, small reserves are quickly becoming more realistic alternatives to preserving large tracts of land, particularly in areas with high development pressure and land acquisition costs (Schwartz ; Kim et al. ; Kendal et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation value of small reserves

Volenec

Dobson

2019

Conservation Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The importance of large reserves has been long maintained in the scientific literature, often leading to dismissal of the conservation potential of small reserves. However, over half the global protected-area inventory is composed of protected areas that are <100 ha, and the median size of added protected area is decreasing. Studies of the conservation value of small reserves and fragments of natural area are relatively uncommon in the literature. We reviewed SCOPUS and WOK for studies on small reserve and fragment contributions to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services, and fifty-eight taxon-specific studies were included in the review. Small reserves harbored substantial portions (upward of 50%) of regional species diversity for many taxa (birds, plants, amphibians, and small mammals) and even some endemic, specialist bird species. Unfortunately, small reserves and fragments almost always harbored more generalist and exotic species than large reserves. Community composition depended on habitat quality, surrounding land use (agricultural vs. urban), and reserve and fragment size, which presents opportunities for management and improvement. Small reserves also provided ecosystem services, such as pollination and biological pest control, and cultural services, such as recreation and improved human health. Limitations associated with small reserves, such as extinction debt and support of area-sensitive species, necessitate a complement of larger reserves. However, we argue that small reserves can make viable and significant contributions to conservation goals directly as habitat and indirectly by increasing landscape connectivity and quality to the benefit of large reserves. To effectively conserve biodiversity for future generations in landscapes fragmented by human development, small reserves and fragments must be included in conservation planning. Valor de Conservación de las Pequeñas ReservasResumen: La importancia de las reservas muy extensas se ha mantenido durante mucho tiempo dentro de la * email zvolenec@princeton.edu Article impact statement: Small reserves make meaningful contributions to biodiversity conservation and provisioning of ecosystem services.

show abstract

Protected area acquisition costs show economies of scale with area

Cited by 23 publications

References 57 publications

Why do we lose protected areas? Factors influencing protected area downgrading, downsizing and degazettement in the tropics and subtropics

Why do we lose protected areas? Factors influencing protected area downgrading, downsizing and degazettement in the tropics and subtropics

Effects of cost metric on cost‐effectiveness of protected‐area network design in urban landscapes

Conservation value of small reserves

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About