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Impact of nature reserve establishment on deforestation: a test

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Abstract

Establishing protected areas is one of the most widely used tools for biodiversity conservation, but the effectiveness of this is disputed. We used satellite-based maps of land cover to compare forest cover and rate of forest loss before and after 28 Mexican protected areas were decreed. Forest cover declined over time, both inside and outside reserves, but the loss was lowest in designated core areas. No significant difference was found in the mean rate of change in forest cover between external buffer, decreed areas and areas not yet decreed. There was also no significant difference in forest loss among protected areas before and after being decreed. The centre of protected areas (whether or not it corresponds to core areas) had a lower rate of forest cover loss. Population and road density was significantly lower within than outside protected areas and in regulated core areas than in the rest of the area. Isolation from the boundary appears to reduce deforestation as much as the presence of regulated core areas, illustrating the importance of size and design and the importance of protecting large areas with adequate core areas for a more effective conservation management.

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Abbreviations

MSS:

Multi spectral scanning

ETM:

Enhanced thematic mapper

INE:

Institito Nacional de Ecología (National Institute of Ecology)

GIS:

Geographic information system

INEGI:

Institututo Nacional de Estadística e Informática (National Institute of Statistics and Informatic)

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Acknowledgments

We thank Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología for funding and the following for providing access to information: Instituto Nacional de Ecología, Instituto de Geografía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and the Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática. Also to Toby Gardiner for useful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK

    Dení Rayn

  2. Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK

    William J. Sutherland

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  1. Dení Rayn
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  2. William J. Sutherland
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Correspondence to Dení Rayn.

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Dení Rayn presently works as independent consultant.

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Rayn, D., Sutherland, W.J. Impact of nature reserve establishment on deforestation: a test. Biodivers Conserv 20, 1625–1633 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-011-0051-y

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