Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Bold nature retention targets are essential for the global environment agenda

  • Comment
  • Published:

From Nature Ecology & Evolution

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Ambitious targets for the retention — not just formal protection — of nature are urgently needed to conserve biodiversity and to maintain crucial ecosystem services for humanity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1: A headline global retention target emerges from an example set of specific sub-targets.

References

  1. Gannon, P. et al. Parks 23.2, 13–26 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Halpern, B. S. et al. Nat. Commun. 6, 7615 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Venter, O. et al. Nat. Commun. 7, 12558 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Maron, M., Rhodes, J. R. & Gibbons, P. Conserv. Lett. 6, 359–367 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Pressey, R. L., Visconti, P. & Ferraro, P. J. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 370, 20140280 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Büscher, B. et al. Oryx 51, 407–410 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Dinerstein, E. et al. Bioscience 67, 534–545 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Watson, J. E. M. et al. Conserv. Biol. 30, 243–248 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Wilson, E. O. Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life (Liveright, New York, 2016).

  10. Ricketts, T. H. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 102, 18497–18501 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Scheffers, B. R. et al. Science 354, aaf7671 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Ceballos, G., Ehrlich, P. R. & Dirzo, R. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 114, E6089–E6096 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Watson, J. E. M., Dudley, N., Segan, D. B. & Hockings, M. Nature 515, 67–73 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Soga, M. & Gaston, K. J. Front. Ecol. Environ. 14, 94–101 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Maes, J., Paracchini, M. L., Zulian, G., Dunbar, M. B. & Alkemade, R. Biol. Conserv. 155, 1–12 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Maxwell, S. L. et al. Science 347, aaa1451 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Venter, O. et al. Sci. Data 3, 160067 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Avitabile, V. et al. Glob. Change Biol. 22, 1406–1420 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Jasechko, S. et al. Nature 496, 347–351 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Rockström, J. et al. Nature 461, 472–475 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Watson, J. E. M. & Venter, O. Nature 550, 48–49 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Watson, J. E. M. et al. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 2, 599–610 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Cowie, A. L. et al. Environ. Sci. Policy 79, 25–35 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Watson, J. E. M. et al. Conserv. Lett. 9, 413–421 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank S. Butchart, N. Dudley, T. Evans, P. Langhammer and M. Mulligan for feedback on a draft manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Martine Maron, Jeremy S. Simmonds & James E. M. Watson

  2. Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Martine Maron, Jeremy S. Simmonds & James E. M. Watson

  3. Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY, USA

    James E. M. Watson

Authors
  1. Martine Maron
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jeremy S. Simmonds
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. James E. M. Watson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martine Maron.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Maron, M., Simmonds, J.S. & Watson, J.E.M. Bold nature retention targets are essential for the global environment agenda. Nat Ecol Evol 2, 1194–1195 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0595-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0595-2

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation