In an era of massive biodiversity loss, the greatest conservation success story has been the growth of protected land globally. Protected areas are the primary defense against biodiversity loss, but extensive human activity within their boundaries can undermine this. Using the most comprehensive global map of human pressure, we show that 6 million square kilometers (32.8%) of protected land is under intense human pressure. For protected areas designated before the Convention on Biological Diversity was ratified in 1992, 55% have since experienced human pressure increases. These increases were lowest in large, strict protected areas, showing that they are potentially effective, at least in some nations. Transparent reporting on human pressure within protected areas is now critical, as are global targets aimed at efforts required to halt biodiversity loss.

Speaker biography

Kendall is a conservation biologist nearing the end of his PhD at the University of Queensland. He is particularly interested in developing and applying conservation planning techniques which incorporate key drivers of biodiversity decline (e.g. climate change, economic development) to develop spatially explicit scenarios for biodiversity conservation and responsible environmental resource management.

Where and when

Friday 15 June, 12-1 pm

Room 519, Chamberlain building