An assessment of the role of protected landscapes in conserving biodiversity in Europe

Abstract

Protected landscapes (IUCN category V) make up over half the area of protected areas in Europe and are thus a critical part of Europe’s conservation strategy, but critics have raised serious challenges about their usefulness to conservation. We present information on existing research into their conservation effectiveness. This is used, along with additional case studies from Spain, Germany and Croatia, to provide an initial assessment of biodiversity conservation within category V. Our research suggests that protected landscapes can be effective tools for conservation, but that this is not invariably the case and depends to a large extent on whether they are well planned and effectively managed. This management approach will work better for some species and ecosystems than for others and is not suitable for all conservation tasks. The contribution reviews the available evidence, makes some recommendations about what is needed to increase the effectiveness of conservation within protected landscapes and outlines areas requiring further research.