Living near a protected area can improve aspects of human well-being across the developing world, new research published today in Science Advances suggests.
Living near a protected area can improve aspects of human well-being across the developing world, new research published today in Science Advances suggests.
Protected areas are defined geographic spaces such as national parks, nature reserves or wilderness areas that are managed with the goal of long-term conservation. They are one of the chief tools used to conserve biodiversity around the world.
But questions remain about how the establishment of protected areas affects the residents who live nearby and rely on the resources found in the newly protected space, said Drew Gerkey, an environmental anthropologist at Oregon State University and a co-author of the paper.
“Although people living near a protected area may benefit from long-term conservation, studies have also shown that protected areas sometimes deny people access to resources they depend on,” said Gerkey, an assistant professor of anthropology in OSU’s College of Liberal Arts. “Our study examines this dilemma at a global scale and suggests these protected areas have overall positive impacts on the people living nearby, under certain kinds of conditions.”
Read more at Oregon State University
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