A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Assessing the effectiveness of a national protected area network for carnivore conservation
Authors: J. Terraube, J. Van Doninck, P. Helle, M. Cabeza
Publisher: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
Publication year: 2020
Journal: Nature Communications
Journal name in source: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
Journal acronym: NAT COMMUN
Article number: 2957
Volume: 11
Issue: 1
Number of pages: 9
ISSN: 2041-1723
eISSN: 2041-1723
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16792-7
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/48811946
Protected areas (PAs) are essential to prevent further biodiversity loss yet their effectiveness varies largely with governance and external threats. Although methodological advances have permitted assessments of PA effectiveness in mitigating deforestation, we still lack similar studies for the impact of PAs on wildlife populations. Here we use an innovative combination of matching methods and hurdle-mixed models with a large-scale and long-term dataset for Finland's large carnivore species. We show that the national PA network does not support higher densities than non-protected habitat for 3 of the 4 species investigated. For some species, PA effects interact with region or time, i.e., wolverine densities decreased inside PAs over the study period and lynx densities increased inside eastern PAs. We support the application of matching methods in combination of additional analytical frameworks for deeper understanding of conservation impacts on wildlife populations. These methodological advances are crucial for preparing ambitious PA targets post-2020. Assessing the effectiveness of protected areas for wildlife conservation is challenging. Here, Terraube et al. combine statistical matching and hurdle mixed-effects models to show that PAs have limited impact on population densities of large carnivores across Finland.
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