Open AccessWorking landscapes need at least 20% native habitat
Author(s) -
Garibaldi Lucas A.,
Oddi Facundo J.,
Miguez Fernando E.,
Bartomeus Ignasi,
Orr Michael C.,
Jobbágy Esteban G.,
Kremen Claire,
Schulte Lisa A.,
Hughes Alice C.,
Bagnato Camilo,
Abramson Guillermo,
Bridgewater Peter,
Carella Dulce Gomez,
Díaz Sandra,
Dicks Lynn V.,
Ellis Erle C.,
Goldenberg Matías,
Huaylla Claudia A.,
Kuperman Marcelo,
Locke Harvey,
Mehrabi Zia,
Santibañez Fernanda,
Zhu ChaoDong
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
conservation letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.153
H-Index - 79
ISSN - 1755-263X
DOI - 10.1111/conl.12773
Subject(s) - habitat , biome , biodiversity , geography , food security , environmental resource management , protected area , ecosystem services , restoration ecology , agroforestry , legislation , habitat destruction , landscape connectivity , ecosystem , agriculture , environmental planning , ecology , environmental science , political science , population , biological dispersal , demography , archaeology , sociology , law , biology
International agreements aim to conserve 17% of Earth's land area by 2020 but include no area‐based conservation targets within the working landscapes that support human needs through farming, ranching, and forestry. Through a review of country‐level legislation, we found that just 38% of countries have minimum area requirements for conserving native habitats within working landscapes. We argue for increasing native habitats to at least 20% of working landscape area where it is below this minimum. Such target has benefits for food security, nature's contributions to people, and the connectivity and effectiveness of protected area networks in biomes in which protected areas are underrepresented. We also argue for maintaining native habitat at higher levels where it currently exceeds the 20% minimum, and performed a literature review that shows that even more than 50% native habitat restoration is needed in particular landscapes. The post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is an opportune moment to include a minimum habitat restoration target for working landscapes that contributes to, but does not compete with, initiatives for expanding protected areas, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.