One of the most irreplaceable places

A new study aims to identify land areas that are truly irreplaceable, vital for the preservation of mammals, birds and amphibians.

Previous research and conservation efforts in the area have focused on expanding the global network of protected areas, said study co-author Ana Rodrigues, a conservation biologist at the Center for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology in Montpellier, France. "We don't have enough protected areas and we need to expand the network." "But it's become clear to us that you can't just do that," Rodrigues said. "You also have to make sure that the existing areas are working and doing what we need them to do."

Protected areas encompass 13 percent of the land on Earth and about two percent of the Earth's oceans, according to a 2012 United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report.

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park has been cataloged as one of these places with the most "irreplaceable" natural environment in the world due to the value of its endangered species.

according to a study in which it is regretted that this area does not yet have the title of World Heritage of Unesco. This area of ​​Colombia includes tropical areas at lower elevations, temperate areas and peaks that are continuously covered with snow and ice. It is an area rich in endemic species, those found nowhere else on Earth. But the expansion of agriculture threatens the region.

The conservation biologist hopes the new analysis will help managers and conservationists identify the protected areas that bear the greatest responsibility for hosting mammals, birds and amphibians, at least half of which are classified as endangered or threatened.

Data from other groups of animals and plants were not as complete, so they were not considered in this study. Information on marine protected areas is still in its infancy, so they were also excluded.

 

Source: Natgeo.com