Abstract
This chapter combines information on the world’s protected areas (PAs) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), common classification systems of ecosystem conservation status, and current knowledge on ecosystem responses to nitrogen (N) deposition, to determine areas most at risk. The results show that 2,600 PAs located in both the G200 Ecoregions and Biodiversity Hotspots are exposed to a deposition > 10 kg N ha−1 year−1 with projections for 2030 indicating that this situation is expected to continue. Furthermore, 62 PAs are projected to receive > 30 kg N ha−1 year−1 by 2030; with forest and grassland ecosystems in Asia particularly at risk. Many of these sites are known to be sensitive to N deposition effects, both in terms of biodiversity changes and ecosystem services they provide. Urgent assessment of high-risk areas identified in this study is recommended to inform the conservation efforts of the CBD.
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Acknowledgments
The PA database was made available by UNEP-WCMC (Cambridge, UK), which is greatly appreciated by the authors.
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Bleeker, A., Hicks, W., Dentener, F., Galloway, J., Erisman, J. (2014). Nitrogen Deposition as a Threat to the World’s Protected Areas Under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In: Sutton, M., Mason, K., Sheppard, L., Sverdrup, H., Haeuber, R., Hicks, W. (eds) Nitrogen Deposition, Critical Loads and Biodiversity. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7939-6_31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7939-6_31
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