Conservation maps reveal more protected land and persistent ecological gaps
A global analysis estimates that land managed for conservation extends well beyond internationally reported areas. National and local maps lift the estimate to nearly 27 percent, while many ecosystems remain poorly represented. The peer-reviewed study distinguishes possible conservation areas from formally recognized protection and highlights the role of the people who govern them.
Science··Morning
Local maps enlarge the conservation estimate
Land managed for conservation extends beyond the sites reported internationally. A peer-reviewed global study estimates coverage at 26.81 percent after including additional nationally recognized areas and land that might qualify for recognition. Conservation remains uneven across ecosystems, even with that broader scope.[1], [2]
Researchers combined national and local maps from 25 countries and territories, representing approximately 10 percent of the terrestrial realm. They used 2 global and 65 national or subnational datasets to estimate how much conserved land international reporting misses.[1]
Possible areas still require formal recognition
The calculation used May 2022 international data as its baseline. It added nationally recognized sites absent from the global database and possible other effective area-based conservation measures. The latter category covers places where sustained management supports biodiversity, even when conservation is not the primary purpose.[1]
Ecological gaps persist within the larger total
Including every category reduced the number of ecoregions with less than 10 percent coverage from 80 to 51, out of a median 173 examined. Much of the additional land lay in already well-represented regions. Formal recognition of possible areas requires the custodians’ free, prior and informed consent and national approval. Area alone does not establish effective management or nature recovery.[1]
