Protected areas have mixed success in protecting wildlife, according to the largest study on the effects of reserves(保护区).
A team led by researchers from the U.K. examined water bird data from 1,506 protected areas and analyzed more than 27,000 bird populations across the world. The authors write that their study, published in Nature, is the first robust(强有力的), global assessment of protected areas’ influence on bird populations. The scientists found that protected areas with management of water birds and their habitats were more likely to benefit those populations.
“Our study shows that, while many protected areas are working well, many others are failing to have positive effect,” lead author Hannah Wauchope of the University of Exeter says in a statement. The study compared water bird populations before and after the establishment of protected areas and also compared trends of similar populations within and outside of protected areas. Water birds respond quickly to changes in site quality, making them a good group to look at when studying the impact of protected areas.
“In the majority of places we looked at, wildlife populations were still stable or were increasing, but they weren’t doing any better than in unprotected areas,” Wauchope says. “That’s disappointing, but not surprising. There seems to be this disconnect between people talking about how much land is protected and whether those areas are actually doing anything positive.”
This research comes ahead of a United Nations meeting in China to discuss biodiversity goals for the next decade. Several countries have already devoted to protecting 30 percent of the planet by 2030, yet researchers say protection alone does not necessarily ensure positive outcomes for species.
“We are not saying protected areas don’t work,” Wauchope concludes in the statement.” The key point is that their effects vary hugely, and the biggest thing this depends on is whether they are managed with species in mind—we can’t just expect protected areas to work without effective management.”
【小题1】What can we know from paragraph 2?| A．The researchers may come from any European countries. |
| B．The team analyzed lots of water bird data all over the world. |
| C．Many readers comment that the study is robust and influential. |
| D．The protected areas with no management can benefit water birds. |
| A．They can create significant financial profits. |
| B．They can quickly respond to environmental changes. |
| C．They can help change the quality of waters. |
| D．They can’t be found outside protected areas. |
| A．Every protected area was doing much better than unprotected areas. |
| B．It’s unexpected to find out the uselessness of some preserves. |
| C．Most wildlife population were sill stable or were increasing. |
| D．The researchers thought that the protected areas don’t work at all. |
| A．Unprotected areas are always better than protected areas. |
| B．Unprotected areas show no improvement of animal protection. |
| C．Protected areas need effective management based on a study. |
| D．Protected areas can greatly contribute to animal protection. |
