New study says conservation works, providing hope for biodiversity efforts
New study says conservation works, providing hope for biodiversity efforts Mongabay.com
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Conservation Efforts Making a Difference in Protecting Biodiversity, Study Finds
A new study published in the journal Science reveals that conservation works, with conservation actions improving or slowing the decline of biodiversity in two-thirds of the cases analyzed.
Effectiveness of Conservation Strategies
- Controlling invasive species
- Restoring habitats
- Establishing protected areas
The study highlights the effectiveness of various conservation strategies, such as controlling invasive species, restoring habitats, and establishing protected areas, across different geographic locations, ecosystems, and political systems.
Economic Case for Conservation
The economic case for investing in conservation is strong, as more than half of the world’s GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature. Every dollar invested in conservation yields a return of $100 in ecosystem services.
Addressing Drivers of Biodiversity Loss
While conservation efforts are crucial, the study’s lead author emphasizes that addressing drivers of biodiversity loss, such as unsustainable consumption and production, is also necessary to halt and reverse the decline of biodiversity.
Study Details
In an analysis of 186 studies covering 665 trials, researchers evaluated the impact of conservation interventions globally over the past century. In two-thirds of the cases, conservation actions either improved biodiversity or slowed its decline.
“Our study shows that when conservation actions work, they really work,” said Jake Bicknell, co-author of the paper and a conservation scientist at University of Kent. “In other words, they often lead to outcomes for biodiversity that are not just a little bit better than doing nothing at all, but many times greater.”
Many conservation strategies are working, according to the study, including controlling invasive species, restoring habitats, and establishing protected areas. Managing invasive species, particularly on islands, showed significant positive impacts.
“What surprised me the most was just how well conservation works, kind of across the board, meaning across different geographic locations, ecosystems, and political systems,” Penny Langhammer, executive vice president of Re:wild and co-author of the study, told Mongabay.
For example, deforestation in the Congo Basin was 74% lower in logging concessions under a Forest Management Plan than in those without one. Protected areas and Indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon significantly reduced both deforestation rates and fire density.
“We saw this [positive] signal from places like off the coast of Florida to South Africa to the Philippines, there was no geographic differentiation,” Langhammer said. “So, conservation from all of these places, across the globe, is stopping and reversing biodiversity loss.”
Despite the overall positive impact of conservation, the study also found that in 21% of the cases studied, biodiversity declined under conservation efforts compared with no action. The researchers emphasized that conservation strategies are sometimes learned by trial and error and need continuous improvement and adaptation.
The study also found a correlation suggesting that conservation is becoming more effective over time, as strategies and techniques improve.
“Even when conservation interventions didn’t work for the species or ecosystem that they were intended to benefit, other species either often unintentionally benefited, or we learned from the result, ensuring that
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 14: Life Below Water – The article discusses the positive impact of conservation actions on biodiversity, which is directly related to the goal of protecting and restoring marine ecosystems.
- SDG 15: Life on Land – The article emphasizes the importance of conservation efforts in halting and reversing the decline of biodiversity, which aligns with the goal of protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- SDG 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans – The article highlights the effectiveness of conservation strategies, such as controlling invasive species and establishing protected areas, in improving biodiversity in marine ecosystems.
- SDG 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species – The article emphasizes the need to address drivers of biodiversity loss, such as unsustainable consumption and production, in order to halt and reverse the decline of biodiversity.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Indicator for SDG 14.2: Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas – The article mentions the establishment of protected areas as an effective conservation strategy.
- Indicator for SDG 15.5: Red List Index – The article cites the IUCN’s information that 44,000 species are documented as being at risk of extinction, indicating the need for urgent action to prevent species loss.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 14: Life Below Water | 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans. | Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas. |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. | Red List Index. |
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Fuente: news.mongabay.com
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