IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Arthur, J. | |
| The utility of protected areas for large carnivore conservation | |
| 2014 Full Book | |
Conservation strategies often rely on protected areas (PAs) to achieve positive conservation outcomes. However, PAs are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change which questions their future utility for conservation. This study assessed the utility of PAs for large carnivore conservation under current and future climate scenarios. Utility was determined by whether or not a PA was predicted to be able to sustain viable populations of its large carnivore species. The population size a PA was predicted to be able to sustain was estimated using the ecological parameter of home range (HR) size. HR was predicted using a model, which used PA-specific primary productivity dynamics and species' traits, to predict PA-specific HR size for a given carnivore species. PA-specific primary productivity dynamics under future climate scenarios were modelled using projected climatic data and then input into this model. Results showed that the majority of PAs were unable to sustain viable populations of their large carnivores under current conditions and that this would not change under future climate scenarios. PA size was found to be the most significant determinant of its utility, with larger PAs having significantly higher utility. In addition, a latitudinal gradient of PA utility was identified. PAs in areas of higher latitudes were less likely to be capable of sustaining viable populations than PAs in lower latitudes. Therefore, PAs have limited utility for large carnivore conservation as a sole measure to ensure their persistence under a changing climate, particularly in regions of high latitude. The future of large carnivore conservation should be in developing novel approaches to utilising a multiuse landscape which includes PAs and a variety of other land uses to secure their future. |
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