New research found nearly half of land-based ecosystems and threatened species in Australia have inadequate protections. Yet most of the budget for national parks will go to infrastructure upgrades.
Before the trophy hunting ban, Botswana specialised in big game such as elephants, buffalos and leopards.
Shutterstock
Enforcement at protected areas is key way to prevent bushmeat poaching, but it’s also important to recognise the contribution bushmeat makes to livelihoods, incomes and food security.
The American mink has invaded much of Europe and South America. This one was pictured in Cairngorms National Park, Scotland.
Tim Blackburn, UCL
Erle C. Ellis, University of Maryland, Baltimore County and James Watson, The University of Queensland
To save what’s left of nature on this increasingly human planet, conservation needs to become a top priority around the world, from the wildest of wildlands to the densest of cities.
Camera trap image of adult female chimpanzee with her offspring in fallow area in Moyamba district of Sierra Leone foraging on oranges.
Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Studies show that West Africa’s critically endangered chimpanzees are finding ways of adapting to their rapidly changing habitat, but they still remain highly at risk.
Splashing in the Zambezi River at Botswana’s Chobe National Park.
Shutterstock
Lifting the trophy hunting moratorium in Botswana is more about politics and less about elephant conservation.
The West Moberly First Nation would like to see biodiversity-rich riparian areas in the Peace River Valley, in northeastern British Columbia protected. They will be destroyed by the Site C hydro dam, currently under construction.
Garth Lenz
National parks and nature reserves are vital for conservation, but are also great places for recreation. Balancing the two is tricky, but it can be done if we realise parks are not just playgrounds.
Do people in Nosey Be Madagascar benefit equally from ecotourism income and training opportunities?
Flickr.com/tatogra
The world’s national parks cover an area bigger than South America. But a new survey finds that one-third of this area is subject to pressure from human developments, potentially putting wildlife at risk.
The Tongariro Crossing is one of New Zealand’s most popular walks in a national park.
AAP
Valentina Dinica, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
New Zealand’s wildlife and natural wonders are major draw cards for tourists, but tourism companies operating in national parks contribute little to conservation.
Cleared habitat in Niassa Reserve, Mozambique.
James Allan