Arguments for Protected Areas

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Most protected areas (e.g.national parks and nature reserves) have been created to protect wildlife and land- and seascape values. They currently cover over 13% of the world's land surface, around 12% of marine coastal areas and 4% of the marine shelf. Retaining and expanding these areas in the future will depend on showing their wider benefits for society.This book provides a concise and persuasive overview of the values of protected areas. Contributing authors from over fifty countries examine a wide range of values that are maintained in protected areas, including food, water and materials; health; tourism; cultural and spiritual values; and buffering capacity against climate change and natural disasters. The book also considers the role of protected areas in poverty reduction strategies, their relationship with traditional and indigenous people and in fostering conflict resolution through peace parks initiatives.The chapters draw on a series of authoritative reports published by WWF over recent years under the 'Arguments for Protection' banner, in association with various partners, and on additional research carried out especially for the volume. It analyses the opportunities and limitations of protected areas for supplying the various values along with practical advice for planners and managers about maximising benefits. It provides an important contribution to the debate about the role of protected areas in conservation and other aspects of natural resource management and human livelihoods.Published with WWF

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Contributors (p. viii)
• Acknowledgements (p. xiv)
• List of Figures, Tables and Boxes (p. xv)
• List of Acronyms and Abbreviations (p. xix)
• Foreword (p. xxi)
• 1 Protected Areas: Linking Environment and Well-being (p. 1)
• 2 Vital Sites: Protected Areas Supporting Health and Recreation (p. 13)
• Case Study 2.1 Protecting Medicinal Resources in Colombia (p. 28)
• Case Study 2.2 Parks Victoria (Australia) 'Healthy Parks Healthy People' Initiative (p. 31)
• 3 Running Pure: Protected Areas Maintaining Purity and Quantity of Urban Water Supplies (p. 39)
• Case Study 3.1 Protecting Water Supplies to Caracas, Venezuela (p. 49)
• 4 Food Stores: Protected Areas Conserving Crop Wild Relatives and Securing Future Food Stocks (p. 53)
• Case Study 4.1 Crop Genetic Diversity Protection in Turkey (p. 70)
• Case Study 4.2 Conservation of Endangered CWRs in Mexico's Sierra de Manantlán (p. 73)
• 5 Nursery Tales: Protected Areas Conserving Wild Marine and Freshwater Fish Stocks (p. 79)
• Case Study 5.1 Freshwater Fishery Sustainability in Lake Malawi, East Africa (p. 89)
• Case Study 5.2 Managing and Monitoring Success: The Story of Tubbataha Reefs, Philippines (p. 91)
• 6 Natural Security: Protected Areas and Hazard Mitigation (p. 97)
• Case Study 6.1 Environmental Degradation and the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 (p. 112)
• Case Study 6.2 Restoration and Protection Plan to Reduce Flooding in the Lower Danube (p. 115)
• 7 Safety Net: Protected Areas Contributing to Human Well-being (p. 121)
• Case Study 7.1 Population-Health-Environment Approaches in Kiunga Marine National Reserve, Kenya (p. 140)
• 8 Beyond Belief: Linking Faiths and Protected Areas to Support Biodiversity Conservation (p. 145)
• Case Study 8.1 The Ancient Sacred Natural Sites in al Hoceima National Park, Morocco (p. 159)
• 9 Living Traditions: Protected Areas and Cultural Diversity (p. 165)
• Case Study 9.1 Angkor Wat Protected Landscape - Where Culture, Nature and Spirit Meet (p. 180)
• Case Study 9.2 Inuit Partnerships in the Torngat Mountains National Park, Canada (p. 183)
• 10 Diverting Places: Linking Travel, Pleasure and Protection (p. 189)
• Case Study 10.1 Managing Tourism in South Korea's Protected Area System (p. 200)
• 11 Climate Change: The Role of Protected Areas in Mitigating and Adapting to Change (p. 205)
• Case Study 11.1 Protected Areas Helping to Reduce Carbon Emissions in Brazil (p. 218)
• 12 Making Peace: Protected Areas Contributing to Conflict Resolution (p. 225)
• Case Study 12.1 La Amistad Binational Biosphere Reserve in Costa Rica and Panama (p. 235)
• 13 Nature Conservation: Leaving Space for Biodiversity (p. 239)
• Case Study 13.1 A Hundred Years of Conservation Success at Kaziranga National Park, India (p. 248)
• 14 Precious Places: Getting the Arguments Right (p. 253)
• Index (p. 265)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Stolton and Dudley (Equilibrium Research, UK), teaming up with 41 chapter and case study authors, systematically document a multitude of benefits that protected areas provide for human societies and the biophysical systems on which these areas depend. The book's 14 chapters and 17 case studies cover benefits ranging from well-established biodiversity conservation to newer arguments such as conflict resolution. Most chapters are organized using a similar structure to facilitate comparisons of values, current contributions, and management issues across benefit types. The work's pragmatic and evidence-based approach is effective in making a plea that stronger support from government agencies, donors, and communities is justified ecologically, socially, and economically. This plea might have been even stronger if some of the authors were not affiliated with academic environmental programs or conservation groups. Nevertheless, the book is a major contribution to the protected area literature, and will serve well as a supplementary resource for academic or professional courses on nature conservation, environmental studies, and park management. It will also help to elevate the public's understanding of the numerous values of protected areas beyond aesthetics and recreation. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels of readership. Y.-F. Leung North Carolina State University