ABSTRACT
In response to the current biodiversity crisis, there has been an exponential increase in the number of protected areas (PAs) and, correspondingly, the area under protection in recent years (Chape et al., 2005). The global network of protected areas now covers 11.5 per cent of the world’s surface area (Rodrigues et al., 2004) with 8.4 per cent of this total protected area falling within categories I–IV of the IUCN’s classification (Schmitt et al., 2009); the highest levels of protection. Although it is considered that the social costs of protected areas are considerable, the establishment of protected areas remains the primary means of achieving biodiversity conservation (Hutton et al., 2005). But in terms of direct biodiversity conservation outcomes, just how effective are protected areas and how do we measure “effectiveness”, in terms of change in forest cover over time?
