Protected areas have undergone notable growth over the past decade. The expansion of protected area networks is driven by global efforts to conserve biodiversity, and efforts to mainstream biodiversity and ecosystem services in regional and national strategies.

 

In 2010, the 192 State Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 to halt biodiversity loss and ensure the sustainable and equitable use of natural resources. The plan formulated twenty targets, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Target 11 calls for the protection of 17% of terrestrial and inland water areas, and 10% of coastal and marine areas and is a key driver of increasing global protected area coverage (CBD, 2010).

 

In 2015, the global commitment to protect the natural environment was further reinforced with the adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UN, 2015) by world leaders as a blueprint until the year 2030. Three of these directly relate to the environment under the headings of Climate Action, Life below Water and Life on Land (Goals 13, 14 and 15).

 

Increasing protected area coverage has a material impact on many sectors and can be a particular problem for the extractives industry. There have been some moves to grant protected areas additional protection. Members of the International Council on Mining and Metals have committed to considering World Heritage sites as ‘no-go’ areas (ICMM, 2003) and many companies have adopted internal policies not to work in certain designations of protected areas. This will limit, to some extent, the areas of the world where these companies can operate. A thorough understanding of the rate of change of protected area coverage can help companies map potential risk factors and plan mitigation measures.