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The global portfolio of protected areas is growing rapidly, despite widely recognizedshortfalls in management effectiveness. Pressure to meet area-coverage and manage-ment effectiveness objectives makes it essential to determine how limited conserva-tion funds should be allocated between expanding protected area networks and betterenforcing existing reserves. We formally explore this question for the particular caseof an exploited species in a partially protected system, using a general model linkingprotection, enforcement and legal/illegal resource extraction. We show that, on aver-age, funds should be disproportionately invested in enforcement rather than expan-sion. Further, expansion alone, without additional enforcement, can actually reduceconservation outcomes. To help guide future decisions, we calculate the optimal allo-cation of resources between these two actions given any current level of enforcementand protected area coverage. In most cases, simultaneously investing in expansion andenforcement is the optimal decision. However, in places with low enforcement andhigh protection, protected area contraction, or strategically concentrating enforcementeffort, produces the greatest benefits.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	Aichi Target 11, compliance, management costs, management effectiveness, metapopulation modelling,natural resource management, poaching
Research Division:	Environmental Sciences
Research Group:	Environmental Science and Management
Research Field:	Conservation and Biodiversity
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences
Author:	Adams, VM (Dr Vanessa Adams)
ID Code:	127132
Year Published:	2017
Deposited By:	Geography and Spatial Science
Deposited On:	2018-07-12
Last Modified:	2018-07-12
Downloads:	0