Guidelines for protected areas legislation.

Abstract

As the first decade of the 21st century draws to a close, most countries of the world have established protected areas. Virtually all such areas enjoy some form of legal protection. Growth in protected areas has continued to trend upward since the 1960s, when data showed only about 1.5 per cent of the earth’s surface covered. Today, more than 12 per cent of the earth’s surface is part of some type of formal protected area But scientific assessments indicate that biodiversity and ecosystem integrity are continuing to decline at an accelerating rate. As never before, protected areas are being recognized as essential for nature and biodiversity conservation in order to maintain the basic ecosystem services and functions that sustain human life as we know it. They complement other land uses, promote environmental protection and support regulations aimed at the sustainable use of biological resources outside protected areas.