Protected Areas: For species, habitats, and people
Protected areas (PAs) have been established for a level of protection of ecosystems, biological processes and species. According to IUCN and UN Environment's World Conservation Monitoring Centre, there are 238,563 designated protected areas as of July 2018. Most areas are on land, and collectively protect just over 20 million km2, equivalent to 14.9% of the earth’s land surface. PAs such as national parks, wildlife reserves and conservation areas represent today one of the most important methods of conserving biological diversity worldwide. Beyond biodiversity benefits and ecosystem services that protected areas provide, they can also create investment opportunities and employment.
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