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Science 4 July 2008:
Vol. 321. no. 5885, pp. 123 - 126
DOI: 10.1126/science.1158900
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Reports

Accelerated Human Population Growth at Protected Area Edges

George Wittemyer,*{dagger} Paul Elsen, William T. Bean, A. Coleman O. Burton, Justin S. Brashares*{dagger}

Protected areas (PAs) have long been criticized as creations of and for an elite few, where associated costs, but few benefits, are borne by marginalized rural communities. Contrary to predictions of this argument, we found that average human population growth rates on the borders of 306 PAs in 45 countries in Africa and Latin America were nearly double average rural growth, suggesting that PAs attract, rather than repel, human settlement. Higher population growth on PA edges is evident across ecoregions, countries, and continents and is correlated positively with international donor investment in national conservation programs and an index of park-related funding. These findings provide insight on the value of PAs for local people, but also highlight a looming threat to PA effectiveness and biodiversity conservation.

Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.

* These authors contributed equally to this work.

{dagger} To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: georgew{at}nature.berkeley.edu (G.W.); brashares{at}nature.berkeley.edu (J.S.B.)

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E-Letters:

Read all E-Letters

A Balance Between Protected Lands and Population Growth
Luke P. Shoo
Science Online, 11 Dec 2008 [Full text]
Lessons to Be Learned About Migration Around Protected Areas
James Igoe, et al.
Science Online, 11 Dec 2008 [Full text]
Reply to J. Igoe et al. and L. P. Shoo's E-Letters
George Wittemyer, et al.
Science Online, 11 Dec 2008 [Full text]

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