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.
The legal flexibility associated with UNESCO Biosphere Reserves has helped communities to become more involved in conservation, new analysis shows.
Ecology
Nov 3, 2025
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20
Setting aside land for nature is one of the main global strategies to conserve biodiversity. From national parks to local reserves, these areas are designed to give wildlife the space it needs to thrive. But my latest research ...
Ecology
Nov 3, 2025
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19
New research shows that modern agriculture is impacting biodiversity inside protected areas in Europe, while some traditional agricultural practices may help preserve it. The Natura 2000 is the largest network of protected ...
Ecology
Nov 3, 2025
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29
New research has found that even Australia's most protected marine habitats are likely to suffer extreme ocean impacts by 2040, increasing threats to thousands of plant and animal species.
Environment
Oct 29, 2025
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22
New Zealand's first legislated marine reserve, established 50 years ago around Te Hāwere-a-Maki/Goat Island north of Auckland, was also among the very first in the world.
Ecology
Oct 27, 2025
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13
Look up in the woods and you may see a familiar sight: squirrels using tree limbs like a leafy highway, crossing a patch of land without putting their paws on the ground.
Plants & Animals
Oct 22, 2025
0
179
Parks and reserves in Aotearoa New Zealand have been used as colonial tools, and it is time for legislation guiding their management to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi, University of Otago—Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka researchers argue.
Ecology
Oct 20, 2025
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20
The government's proposed reforms of the rules governing public conservation land aim to dismantle any potential obstacle to "unleashing economic growth" in protected areas.
Environment
Oct 14, 2025
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16
According to new research, Mediterranean forests that are allowed to grow naturally within strictly protected areas can stay up to 2°C cooler during summer heat waves compared to actively managed woodlands. This suggests ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 13, 2025
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20
A new law that almost triples the protected area in the Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana—New Zealand's largest marine park at more than 1.2 million hectares, surrounding Auckland and the Coromandel peninsula—is something to be celebrated.
Ecology
Oct 8, 2025
0
14
