Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Accelerated Human Population Growth at Protected Area Edges. |
| Authors: |
Wittemyer, George, Elsen, Paul, Bean, William T., Coleman, A., Burton, O., Brashares, Justin S. |
| Source: |
Science (pre-March 2025). 7/4/2008, Vol. 321 Issue 5885, p123-126. 4p. |
| Subjects: |
Protected areas, Rural development, Biodiversity, Nature reserves |
| Geographic Terms: |
Africa, Latin America |
| Abstract: |
Protected areas (PAs) have long been criticized as creations of and for an elite few, where associated costs, but few benefits, are borne by marginalized rural communities. Contrary to predictions of this argument, we found that average human population growth rates on the borders of 306 PAs in 45 countries in Africa and Latin America were nearly double average rural growth, suggesting that PAs attract, rather than repel, human settlement. Higher population growth on PA edges is evident across ecoregions, countries, and continents and is correlated positively with international donor investment in national conservation programs and an index of park-related funding. These findings provide insight on the value of PAs for local people, but also highlight a looming threat to PA effectiveness and biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|
Copyright of Science (pre-March 2025) is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| Database: |
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
