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CONSERVATION RESPONSE
Protected Area Coverage in the Hotspots
Using the recently released World Database on Protected Areas, we have been able to overlay the distribution of the approximately 100,000 protected areas worldwide onto hotspots, and determine how much of each hotspot is under some form of protection. In addition, because protected areas may not retain their species if they are used for extraction of natural resources, we have repeated this analysis considering only protected areas classified under IUCN categories I-IV, because the management objectives of these categories imply constraints on human occupation or resource use. The results of both analyses are given in below. Currently, the average protected area coverage of hotspots is 10 percent of their original extent.
While this percentage may not seem low, many existing protected areas are no more than “paper parks”: they have official designation as parks or reserves, but lack funding, capacity, and enforcement. In other protected areas, mismanagement compromises the conservation of biodiversity. Still other protected areas have relatively low biodiversity value, for example those areas that are established to protect scenic vistas but conserve little more than rock or ice. Considering protected areas only in IUCN categories I-IV, which afford higher levels of protection, the average protected area coverage falls to just 5 percent of the hotspots’ original extent.
Extent and proportion of coverage by all protected areas and by protected areas in IUCN categories I-IV, for each hotspot
| Atlantic Forest |
50,370 |
4.1 |
22,782 |
1.8 |
| California Floristic Province |
108,715 |
37.0 |
30,002 |
10.2 |
| Cape Floristic Region |
10,859 |
13.8 |
10,154 |
12.9 |
| Caribbean Islands |
29,605 |
12.9 |
16,306 |
7.1 |
| Caucasus |
42,721 |
8.0 |
35,538 |
6.7 |
| Cerrado |
111,051 |
5.5 |
28,736 |
1.4 |
| Chilean Winter Rainfall - Valdivian Forests |
50,745 |
12.8 |
44,388 |
11.2 |
| Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa |
50,889 |
17.5 |
11,343 |
3.9 |
| East Melanesian Islands |
5,677 |
5.7 |
0 |
0.0 |
| Eastern Afromontane |
154,132 |
15.1 |
59,191 |
5.8 |
| Guinean Forests of West Africa |
108,104 |
17.4 |
18,880 |
3.0 |
| Himalaya |
112,578 |
15.2 |
77,739 |
10.5 |
| Horn of Africa |
145,322 |
8.8 |
51,229 |
3.1 |
| Indo - Burma |
235,758 |
9.9 |
132,283 |
5.6 |
| Irano - Anatolian |
56,193 |
6.2 |
25,783 |
2.9 |
| Japan |
62,025 |
16.6 |
21,918 |
5.9 |
| Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands |
18,482 |
3.1 |
14,664 |
2.4 |
| Madrean Pine - Oak Woodlands |
27,361 |
5.9 |
8,900 |
1.9 |
| Maputaland - Pondoland - Albany |
23,051 |
8.4 |
20,322 |
7.4 |
| Mediterranean Basin |
90,242 |
4.3 |
28,751 |
1.4 |
| Mesoamerica |
142,103 |
12.6 |
63,902 |
5.7 |
| Mountains of Central Asia |
59,563 |
6.9 |
58,605 |
6.8 |
| Mountains of Southwest China |
14,034 |
5.3 |
4,273 |
1.6 |
| New Caledonia |
4,192 |
22.1 |
497 |
2.6 |
| New Zealand |
74,260 |
27.5 |
59,794 |
22.1 |
| Philippines |
32,404 |
10.9 |
18,060 |
6.1 |
| Polynesia - Micronesia |
2,436 |
5.2 |
2,088 |
4.4 |
| Southwest Australia |
38,379 |
10.8 |
38,258 |
10.7 |
| Succulent Karoo |
2,567 |
2.5 |
1,890 |
1.8 |
| Sundaland |
179,723 |
12.0 |
77,408 |
5.2 |
| Tropical Andes |
246,871 |
16.0 |
121,650 |
7.9 |
| Tumbes - Choc |
34,338 |
12.5 |
18,814 |
6.9 |
| Wallacea |
24,387 |
7.2 |
19,702 |
5.8 |
| Western Ghats and Sri Lanka |
26,130 |
13.8 |
21,259 |
11.2 |
| Atlantic Forest |
50,370 |
4.1 |
22,782 |
1.8 |
| California Floristic Province |
108,715 |
37.0 |
30,002 |
10.2 |
| Cape Floristic Region |
10,859 |
13.8 |
10,154 |
12.9 |
| Caribbean Islands |
29,605 |
12.9 |
16,306 |
7.1 |
| Caucasus |
42,721 |
8.0 |
35,538 |
6.7 |
| Cerrado |
111,051 |
5.5 |
28,736 |
1.4 |
| Chilean Winter Rainfall - Valdivian Forests |
50,745 |
12.8 |
44,388 |
11.2 |
| Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa |
50,889 |
17.5 |
11,343 |
3.9 |
| East Melanesian Islands |
5,677 |
5.7 |
0 |
0.0 |
| Eastern Afromontane |
154,132 |
15.1 |
59,191 |
5.8 |
| Guinean Forests of West Africa |
108,104 |
17.4 |
18,880 |
3.0 |
| Himalaya |
112,578 |
15.2 |
77,739 |
10.5 |
| Horn of Africa |
145,322 |
8.8 |
51,229 |
3.1 |
| Indo - Burma |
235,758 |
9.9 |
132,283 |
5.6 |
| Irano - Anatolian |
56,193 |
6.2 |
25,783 |
2.9 |
| Japan |
62,025 |
16.6 |
21,918 |
5.9 |
| Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands |
18,482 |
3.1 |
14,664 |
2.4 |
| Madrean Pine - Oak Woodlands |
27,361 |
5.9 |
8,900 |
1.9 |
| Maputaland - Pondoland - Albany |
23,051 |
8.4 |
20,322 |
7.4 |
| Mediterranean Basin |
90,242 |
4.3 |
28,751 |
1.4 |
| Mesoamerica |
142,103 |
12.6 |
63,902 |
5.7 |
| Mountains of Central Asia |
59,563 |
6.9 |
58,605 |
6.8 |
| Mountains of Southwest China |
14,034 |
5.3 |
4,273 |
1.6 |
| New Caledonia |
4,192 |
22.1 |
497 |
2.6 |
| New Zealand |
74,260 |
27.5 |
59,794 |
22.1 |
| Philippines |
32,404 |
10.9 |
18,060 |
6.1 |
| Polynesia - Micronesia |
2,436 |
5.2 |
2,088 |
4.4 |
| Southwest Australia |
38,379 |
10.8 |
38,258 |
10.7 |
| Succulent Karoo |
2,567 |
2.5 |
1,890 |
1.8 |
| Sundaland |
179,723 |
12.0 |
77,408 |
5.2 |
| Tropical Andes |
246,871 |
16.0 |
121,650 |
7.9 |
| Tumbes - Choc |
34,338 |
12.5 |
18,814 |
6.9 |
| Wallacea |
24,387 |
7.2 |
19,702 |
5.8 |
| Western Ghats and Sri Lanka |
26,130 |
13.8 |
21,259 |
11.2 | *Categories I-IV afford higher levels of protection
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