Representation of ecological regions by protected areas at the global scale

Over the past 30 years, conservationists have sought ways to assess the quality of coverage provided by protected areas and to guide future site selection. One scheme among these addresses the degree to which areas protected for environmental conservation are representative of the ecological regions of a specified area. This has already been attempted at the scale of countries and regions. With the recent publication of the World Database of Protected Areas, quantitative analysis of representativeness at the global scale is finally feasible. We use GIS technology to overlay a map of ecological regions with a map of protected areas in order to identify biomes and geographic realms that are under-represented and well represented by protected areas. The results confirm an overemphasis on marginal land and dramatic landscapes, and the relative neglect of biomes with strong, alternative economic uses. Smaller biomes are typically better protected, as are those that have been targeted by conservation campaigns. Industrialized lifestyles and population pressure also appear to act as stimuli to protection. Our discussion suggests that analyses of patterns of representation are critical, but over-representing certain ecosystems-particularly those that contain high levels of biodiversity or are most threatened-should not be discounted as a conservation strategy.