This International Day for Biological Diversity (22 May), we’re taking a deep dive into protected areas (PAs). As a conservation strategy, why do managed protected areas – such as national parks – actually work?
Today is an opportune moment to reflect on the importance of the earth’s vast biodiversity. For many of us, protecting species from extinction is a non-negotiable moral responsibility. But the reality of today’s rapidly changing world means there are also pragmatic – and urgent – reasons to commit funding and political will to biodiversity protection.
Below, we outline five reasons to save species, secure habitats, and preserve invaluable ecosystems.
With so much money poured into conservation efforts, it’s critical to know which approaches actually work. A new study published in Current Biology analysed the effectiveness of Orangutan conservation over the past 20 years, and found that some investments yield much greater returns than others.