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Protected areas are one of the cornerstones of conservation, safeguarding essential habitats. They preserve natural resources essential to people’s social and economic wellbeing such as drinking water, fisheries and forests. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a healthy future for our planet without the existence of protected areas.
A Safe Haven for Natural Diversity
National parks and protected areas provide refuge for plants and animals whose habitats are threatened elsewhere. La Sepultura Biosphere is southern Mexico is one of last places where cycads are found, a rare and ancient tropical flowering plant estimated to be at least 2,500 years old. The Arnavons marine protected areas in the South Pacific protects nesting sites for the endangered hawksbill turtle. By protecting key habitats, threatened species can be brought back from the brink. For example, preserving sections of the forests of Central America has helped foster the return of the magnificent harpy eagle.
A Source of Drinking Water
A recent study has found that more than a third of the world’s largest cities including New York, Los Angeles and Beijing, rely on the healthy watershed assured by protected forests for drinking water. The Condor Biosphere Reserve in Ecuador is the source of water for more than 1.8 million people living Quito, the country’s capital. Each month businesses and residents use about 4.5 billion gallons of water from the rivers that flow from the reserve.
Supporting Economies and Contributing to Poverty Reduction
Protected areas can have significant economic benefits for both the communities which live within their boundaries and the wider society. Tourism fuelled by Bolivia’s beautiful national parks has generated roughly $200 million in the last decade, of which around $14 million annually has gone to communities living within protected areas who work in the sector. By protecting fish spawning areas, marine protected areas can help replenish fish stocks and support fisheries. Fishers living near Komodo National Park, for example, have seen catches increase since the protection of fish spawning areas. When forestry is managed sustainably within parks, such as the Great Bear rainforest in Canada, it can make an important contribution to the local economy.
Combating Climate Change and Its Impacts
Every year deforestation releases millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. By protecting forests we can help stop this. In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, scientists calculate that preserving 17,000 acres of forest in protected areas can offset the emissions of roughly 750,000 cars, improving air quality and reducing global warming. Protecting key areas can also help mitigate the impact of climate change. In Palau we are helping to identify and protect areas of corals which are proving to be more resilient to bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures.
An Area for Recreation and Spiritual Renewal
The most visited national park in the U.S, Great Smoky Mountains, receives between eight and ten million visitors annually. Whether hiking, camping, fishing or scuba diving, protected areas can conserve places where people can relax, reconnect with nature and enjoy the natural splendor of our planet. Protected areas can also conserve areas of great cultural and spiritual significance. The Meilixueshan Conservation Area near the border with Tibet, for example, includes a mountain of great spiritual importance to Tibetan Buddhism.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Greg Miller/The Nature Conservancy (Cotopaxi volcano in the Condor Bioreserve, Ecuador); Photo © Sanjayan (African woman).
