Core Topic (CT)

The contemporary status of biodiversity in West Africa and concepts for its sustainable conservation

 Topic (T)

Regional to Continental Scale

 Title

Evaluation of Protected Areas - Towards strategies for conservation and sustainable development

 Project leader(s)

Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Barthlott & J. Henning Sommer,
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Kalko & Jakob Fahr
Prof. Dr. Mark-Oliver Rödel & Johannes Penner
Dr. Michael Schmidt & Dr. Tobias Landmann
Prof. Dr. Paul L. G. Vlek & Dr. Ulrike Falk

 Project description

Biodiversity conservation is to an increasing extent recognized as an essential aspect of sustainable development. The efficiency of networks of protected areas for biodiversity conservation at the species level can be significantly improved by considering aspects such as complementarity, irreplaceability, cost-benefit ratios, and by conducting transboundary approaches rather than focusing on national strategies alone. In this workpackage, we will combine information on current biodiversity patterns (CT1-T2-WP1), their current status with regard to habitat alteration and threat (CT1-T2-WP2) and future dynamics (CT1-T2-WP3) into integrated concepts to evaluate the existing network of Protected Areas and to develop optimised transboundary conservation strategies that offer long-term effectiveness, including scenarios which anticipate changing global conditions.