TY - JOUR

T1 - Incorporating the social-ecological approach in protected areas in the anthropocene

AU - Palomo, Ignacio

AU - Montes, Carlos

AU - Martín-López, Berta

AU - González, José A.

AU - García-Llorente, Marina

AU - Alcorlo, Paloma

AU - Mora, María Rosario García

PY - 2014/3/1

Y1 - 2014/3/1

N2 - Protected areas are the main strategy for the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity. However, changes occurring during the Anthropocene continue to threaten biodiversity and, therefore, the associated ecosystem services that maintain human well-being. Despite efforts to integrate protected areas into a wider landscape, most of these areas are still managed as islands within a matrix of degraded territory; there is no clear conceptual framework that integrates them into the surrounding landscape. We first review the evolution of the protected-area concept. Then, we acknowledge the main limitations that protected areas face for long-term conservation. Next, we discuss how the ecosystem service approach could overcome some of these protected-area limitations. Finally, we propose a social-ecological approach for protected areas to maintain high biodiversity and its associated flow of ecosystem services in the context of uncertainty.

AB - Protected areas are the main strategy for the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity. However, changes occurring during the Anthropocene continue to threaten biodiversity and, therefore, the associated ecosystem services that maintain human well-being. Despite efforts to integrate protected areas into a wider landscape, most of these areas are still managed as islands within a matrix of degraded territory; there is no clear conceptual framework that integrates them into the surrounding landscape. We first review the evolution of the protected-area concept. Then, we acknowledge the main limitations that protected areas face for long-term conservation. Next, we discuss how the ecosystem service approach could overcome some of these protected-area limitations. Finally, we propose a social-ecological approach for protected areas to maintain high biodiversity and its associated flow of ecosystem services in the context of uncertainty.

KW - biodiversity

KW - complex systems

KW - land-use management

KW - landscape ecology

KW - protected areas

KW - Sustainability Science

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84899020976&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1093/biosci/bit033

DO - 10.1093/biosci/bit033

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:84899020976

VL - 64

SP - 181

EP - 191

JO - BioScience

JF - BioScience

SN - 0006-3568

IS - 3

ER -