A new University of British Columbia study offers new evidence that protected areas are effective at conserving wildlife.
Researchers at UBC's faculty of forestry analyzed data from a global data set drawing from 8,671 camera trap stations spanning four continents. They found more mammal diversity in survey areas where habitat had a protected designation—compared to forests and other wilderness areas that lacked that designation.
This was true even when these protected areas experienced human disturbances such as recreational use and logging.
"This is not shocking news in itself, but it is exciting evidence of the critical role that parks and nature reserves play in wildlife conservation," says Dr. Cole Burton, the study's senior author and a conservation biologist who researches mammal populations and human-wildlife coexistence.
Data from thousands of cameras confirms protected areas promote mammal diversity
Researchers at UBC's faculty of forestry analyzed data from a global data set drawing from 8,671 camera trap stations spanning four continents. They found more mammal diversity in survey areas where habitat had a protected designation—compared to forests and other wilderness areas that lacked that designation.
This was true even when these protected areas experienced human disturbances such as recreational use and logging.
"This is not shocking news in itself, but it is exciting evidence of the critical role that parks and nature reserves play in wildlife conservation," says Dr. Cole Burton, the study's senior author and a conservation biologist who researches mammal populations and human-wildlife coexistence.
Data from thousands of cameras confirms protected areas promote mammal diversity