New Conservation and Development Frontier

Abstract

"Most protected areas in the world are inhabited by people. Recent figures suggest that around 11.5% of the global terrestrial area is under some form of protection but about 90% of these protected areas are in IUCN categories III-VI that allow degrees of human presence and use. In addition, some 11% of forests globally have been devolved to local communities to varying degrees by governments. Thus, the vast majority of protected areas in the world have human presence in them, although frequently with unclear rights to forests and their products when they are present."