ABSTRACT
There is a pressing need to extend the coverage of protected areas, particularly in developing countries, in order to meet the requirements of in situ conservation, and for other social and cultural reasons. But traditional models (such as strict nature reserves and national parks) which focus on natural or near-natural environments are not always well suited to this purpose and many have met with failure. More emphasis needs to be put on protecting ‘working landscapes’ – places where people live and work, and which are also important for biodiversity conservation and for sustaining livelihoods. These working landscapes can be valuable models of how to integrate biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Many such working landscapes in developing countries are managed sustainably and are important for their biodiversity. But they rarely form part of a nation’s protected area system. This may be because there is a general misconception that protected areas are about ‘locking up’ resources from local people and society.
