The value of small spaces for biodiversity conservation
One of our greatest conservation challenges is to protect the thousands of species whose natural habitats occur in the regions where humans grow food. Wherever climate and soil allow agriculture, large amounts of natural habitat have been cut down, drained, and ploughed under. Current protected areas do not adequately protect the species native to these human-dominated regions. I address the question, how can we configure human-dominated regions to best protect their native species, while still producing food for people? We find that agricultural landscapes containing small crop fields, sprinkled throughout with large numbers of small natural areas will best sustain biodiversity. Biodiversity conservation will require a shift in priorities towards protection of the small spaces near people.
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