Expansion of conservation areas should be informed by sectoral interlinkages

Abstract

In the context of nature conservation, a nexus can be defined as the interlinkages of biodiversity in protected and conserved areas with food, water, health, or climate. Evidence of nature conservation expansion scenarios suggest that such interlinkages are ubiquitous across management types, realms, and scales. Ignoring these interlinkages, including synergies, co-benefits, leakages, and trade-offs, can reduce the effectiveness and cross-sectoral benefits of future protected and conserved area expansions. Integrated planning that is inclusive of different value and knowledge systems can help to bridge disciplines and mitigate severe trade-offs impacting effectiveness of these areas. To enable appropriate expansion of protected and conserved areas to 30% of land and sea by 2030, identifying and including such interlinkages in spatial planning is essential.