What Factors can Influence the Expansion of Protected Areas around the World in the Context of International Environmental and Development Goals?

The protection of biodiversity is an integral part of sustainable development. All the major international environmental and development programs – Aichi Biodiversity Targets, Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals – have committed countries to conserving valuable ecosystems by ensuring that a certain proportion of their terrestrial and marine areas are protected. While many countries have registered improvements in their coverage of protected areas, a significant number are behind in their targets. This paper attempts to shed light on the role of various factors in nature conservation which go beyond the performances of individual countries. Regression analyses were performed on variables that could influence the coverage of protected areas. The main findings point to the significance of economic development, whereas other factors remain less relevant. Although the level of economic development corresponds to the protected areas on an individual country level, it does not automatically ensure a slowdown in biodiversity loss.