Protected areas, as a research topic, encompass geographically defined spaces that are formally designated and managed to achieve specific conservation objectives, typically the long-term maintenance of biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and associated ecosystem services. Scientific inquiry focuses on their design (e.g., size, shape, connectivity), governance regimes, management effectiveness, and socio-ecological outcomes, including impacts on species persistence, genetic diversity, habitat integrity, and local communities. Research also examines zoning, threat mitigation, monitoring frameworks, and the integration of protected areas into broader landscape and seascape planning, as well as their role in meeting international conservation targets and informing evidence-based environmental policy.
In 2025, the area deforested in the country fell below 1 million hectares in a year for the first time since 2019. A total of 984,794 hectares of native vegetation were cleared during 2025, a reduction of 20.6% compared with ...
Environment
Jun 11, 2026
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A new study led by Concordia researchers suggests that carefully habituating wild gorillas to nonthreatening humans can help the animals overcome long-term aversions to people in areas with a history of human-led disturbances ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 10, 2026
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Growing evidence suggests that excessive outdoor lighting at night may be harming wildlife.
Ecology
Jun 10, 2026
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While many people tacitly appreciate the intrinsic and aesthetic value forests and trees provide, governments and policymakers have struggled to take firm action to protect Earth's forests.
Environment
Jun 10, 2026
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A shift toward more precise, measurable conservation goals could hold the key to protecting vulnerable species, according to the findings of a new study looking at African elephants. Conservationists are often faced with ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 9, 2026
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New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has identified a smarter, more effective way to protect fragile marine ecosystems from invasive species—an approach with global relevance for island regions around the world. ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 9, 2026
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India gained around 2.1 million hectares of tropical dry woodland between 2014 and 2024—an area larger than Wales—according to a major new study involving researchers from The University of Manchester's Global Development ...
Environment
Jun 5, 2026
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With World Oceans Day coming up on June 8, policymakers and researchers will be thinking about the state of the ocean and efforts to protect marine environments.
Environment
Jun 5, 2026
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Research from the University of Twente shows how the Javan leopard, one of the world's rarest big cats, survives on one of the most crowded islands on Earth. Using camera traps and spatial models, Andhika Chandra Ariyanto, ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 3, 2026
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Sharks need healthy habitats, and some have a strong preference for locations jam-packed with food, according to FIU research. A recent study of Caribbean reef sharks in the Bahamas, where shark fishing has been banned for ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 2, 2026
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