Conservation initiatives often aim to conserve habitat to prevent biodiversity loss. One common method to achieve this goal is to set up a connected network of protected areas (PAs), which are areas dedicated to managing and protecting habitat for biodiversity conservation.
While most PAs are designated by government organizations, PAs can also be privately managed. Private PAs are areas managed for biodiversity conservation by individuals, corporations, or other non-governmental organizations.
Escobar Jackson, A.F., and Fuller, R.A. 2024. Private protected areas and ecological connectivity in Chile. Conservation Science and Practice 6:e13257.
These areas can increase the total amount of conserved habitat while also often contributing to other recreational and economic benefits. Despite their potential to contribute to conservation, private PAs are often less documented than public PAs, making their contributions to PA networks more difficult to assess.
Recent research evaluated how private PAs contribute to connectivity in Chile’s national PA network, the Sistema Nacional de Áreas Silvestres Protegidas del Estado (SNASPE). Private PAs in Chile are better documented than other countries, making Chile a good case study.
Using spatial data, researchers measured the distance between terrestrial PAs and used models to quantify the extent that private PAs contribute connectivity. They used three indicators of connectivity to evaluate how effective Chile’s PAs maintain connectivity: (1) the total percentage of land in Chile under protection, (2) the percentage of land that is protected but not connected, and (3) the percentage of the landscape that is both protected and connected.
The study found that private PAs slightly increased connectivity in Chile’s PA network, but the extent varied by region. For example, private PAs increased connectivity more in the Southern Andean steppe ecoregion but contributed less to connectivity in other regions of the country. However, even though private PAs benefited network connectivity, it was to an insufficient extent, indicating that a formal network of PAs is still important to strategically increase connectivity.
Private and public PAs both contribute to biodiversity conservation, often filling different needs. Private PAs tend to be smaller than public PAs, meaning that they may not be able to sustain populations of area-sensitive species like large mammals. However, these small PAs can act as stepping stones between larger PAs, increasing connectivity for species moving between PAs. Multiple types of PAs can complement each other to improve ecological connectivity and conservation.
Importantly, the study notes that PAs must be managed well to conserve biodiversity. While Chile is on track to establish a connected PA network, this network will only benefit biodiversity conservation if it is effectively managed. Expanding and effectively managing both public and private PAs in a connected network is a significant pathway to preserving global biodiversity.
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