Landmark study definitively shows that conservation actions are effective at halting and reversing biodiversity loss - University of Oxford
The University of Oxford has contributed to a first-of-its kind review on the success of a wide range of conservation actions. The results, published today in the prestigious journal Science, provide the strongest evidence to date that not only is nature conservation successful, but that scaling conservation interventions up would be transformational for halting and reversing biodiversity loss and reducing the effects of climate change.
More than 44,000 species are documented as being at risk of extinction, with tremendous consequences for the ecosystems that stabilize the climate and that provide billions of people around the world with clean water, livelihoods, homes, and cultural preservation, among other ecosystem services. Governments recently adopted new global targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, making it even more critical to understand whether conservation interventions are working.
Although many studies have assessed the impact of individual conservation projects, these papers have never before been combined into a single analysis to investigate whether conservation action is working overall. For this new study, the research team conducted the first-ever meta-analysis of 186 studies, including 665 trials, that looked at the impact of a wide range of conservation interventions globally, and over time, compared to what would have happened without those interventions. The studies covered over a century of conservation action and evaluated actions targeting different levels of biodiversity, including species, ecosystems, and genetic diversity.
The meta-analysis found that conservation actions—including the establishment and management of protected areas, the eradication and control of invasive species, the sustainable management of ecosystems, habitat loss reduction, and restoration—improved the state of biodiversity or slowed its decline in most cases (66%) compared with no action taken at all. And when conservation interventions work, they were generally found to be highly effective.
Posted On: 27/06/2024
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