10.5061/DRYAD.ZS7H44J6K
Vijay, Varsha
0000-0002-2665-7866
National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center
Armsworth, Paul
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Data from: Pervasive cropland in protected areas highlight trade-offs
between conservation and food security
Dryad
dataset
2020
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
DBI-1639145
2021-01-25T00:00:00Z
2021-01-25T00:00:00Z
en
2649650705 bytes
2
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Global cropland expansion over the last century caused widespread habitat
loss and degradation. Establishment of protected areas aims to counteract
the loss of habitats and to slow species extinctions. However, many
protected areas also include high levels of habitat disturbance and
conversion for uses such as cropland. Understanding where and why this
occurs may realign conservation priorities and inform protected area
policy in light of competing priorities such as food security. Here we use
a new global synthesis cropland dataset to quantify cropland in protected
areas globally, and assess their relationship to conservation aims and
socio-environmental context. We estimate that cropland occupies 1.4
million km2 or 6% of global protected area. Cropland occurs across all
protected area management types, with 22% occurring in strictly protected
areas. Cropland inside protected areas is more prevalent in countries with
higher population density, lower income inequality, and with higher
agricultural suitability of protected lands. While this phenomenon is
dominant in mid-northern latitudes, areas of cropland in protected areas
of the tropics and subtropics may present greater trade-offs due to higher
levels of both biodiversity and food insecurity. Although area-based
targets are prominent in biodiversity goal-setting, our results show that
they can mask persistent anthropogenic land uses detrimental to native
ecosystem conservation. To ensure the long-term efficacy of protected
areas, post-2020 goal setting must link aims for biodiversity and human
health and improve monitoring of conservation outcomes in
cropland-impacted protected areas.