Effectiveness of Africa's tropical protected areas for maintaining forest cover |
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| Authors: | J N Bowker A De Vos J M Ament G S Cumming |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa;2. Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa;3. Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, NW1 4RY, U.K.;4. Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, U.K.;5. ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia |
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| Abstract: | The effectiveness of parks for forest conservation is widely debated in Africa, where increasing human pressure, insufficient funding, and lack of management capacity frequently place significant demands on forests. Tropical forests house a substantial portion of the world's remaining biodiversity and are heavily affected by anthropogenic activity. We analyzed park effectiveness at the individual (224 parks) and national (23 countries) level across Africa by comparing the extent of forest loss (as a proxy for deforestation) inside parks to matched unprotected control sites. Although significant geographical variation existed among parks, the majority of African parks had significantly less forest loss within their boundaries (e.g., Mahale Park had 34 times less forest loss within its boundary) than control sites. Accessibility was a significant driver of forest loss. Relatively inaccessible areas had a higher probability (odds ratio >1, p < 0.001) of forest loss but only in ineffective parks, and relatively accessible areas had a higher probability of forest loss but only in effective parks. Smaller parks less effectively prevented forest loss inside park boundaries than larger parks (T = ?2.32, p < 0.05), and older parks less effectively prevented forest loss inside park boundaries than younger parks (F2,154 = ?4.11, p < 0.001). Our analyses, the first individual and national assessment of park effectiveness across Africa, demonstrated the complexity of factors (such as geographical variation, accessibility, and park size and age) influencing the ability of a park to curb forest loss within its boundaries. |
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| Keywords: | conservation Earth Engine forest loss matching methods paper parks parks satellite aerial imagery conservació n Earth Engine imá genes satelitales aé reas mé todos de emparejamiento parques parques de papel pé rdida de bosques |
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