When we talk about the connectivity of protected areas, we usually think about ecological connectivity – how these areas are structurally and functionally connected to each other through the physical land- or seascape. But there are other types of connectivity that also impact protected areas. In a more indirect way, the social network between people associated with them can be an important factor in whether protected areas achieve their conservation goals.
Protected areas can have multiple types of connectivity. Environmental or ecological connectivity represents the physical connection between the land- or seascape. This network is made up of the biological interactions between areas that affect how individuals move across both short and long distances.
Zapelini, C., de Souza, D.S., de Santana, R.O., Olaya-Restrepo, J. and Schiavetti, A. 2024. Environmental, social, and management aspects in a hotspot: Interaction networks between marine protected areas. Ocean & Coastal Management 251: 107068.
Management connectivity refers to the extent that managers responsible for protected areas interact, in order to increase management effectiveness or share knowledge and strategies. This network is dependent on how well managers communicate and collaborate with each other, and can become fragmented in the same way geographical networks can.
There is also social connectivity, which refers to the way in which protected areas interact with civil society groups. These can include facets such as environmental education programs or research projects, and they can have a significant influence on decisions that are made about protected areas.
How these types of connectivity interact can have a big impact on whether protected areas meet their conservation and management goals. A good example of this complexity can be found in the marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Atlantic Forest Central Corridor of Brazil, where a recent survey of managers aimed to reveal how these types of connectivity coexist. This marine region covers 8 million hectares and is considered a global biodiversity hotspot, with only 7% of its area protected across 15 MPAs.
A social network analysis based on managers’ responses about their MPAs revealed that a subset of MPAs had high centrality, meaning that they were highly active in cooperative alliances and had a big influence on geographically close MPAs. Jurisdictional level was a key factor in establishing relationships between MPAs, with federal and state MPAs most closely aligned and municipal MPAs more isolated.
Overall, the environmental network showed the greatest number of interactions, the social network showed the greatest number of social actors, and the management network showed the greatest isolation between actors from different groups. While interactions between managers tended to form organically, they rapidly shifted when sudden change occurred in the form of two major environmental disasters in the past ten years.
The analysis provides a great example of how connectivity is important beyond physical connectivity, and that the network of people charged with managing those protected areas is as important as the boundaries delineating them. Both geographic proximity and shared management bodies are key components that influence collaboration between managers and other social actors. Protected areas could be more effective if they supported not only biodiversity, but also the human connections that make them possible.
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