Framework to develop a consolidated index model to evaluate the conservation effectiveness of protected areas

Conservationists and protected area managers spend millions in establishing and maintaining protected areas every year. However, many studies revealed that the design and coverage of protected areas are still inadequate in representing key biodiversity features, are insufficient in the management approach to address the threats and pressures and have a low level of ecological integrity because of the increasing levels of environmental degradation. There is strong evidence of different anthropogenic pressures that deteriorate the effectiveness of existing protected areas, structurally, compositionally and functionally. Hence, the evaluation of a protected area’s effectiveness is very crucial in maintaining long-term biodiversity conservation. Different evaluations have been carried out to assess the effectiveness of protected areas but focus only on certain issues or a single component. Current effectiveness evaluations still inadequately incorporate important criteria to make the evaluation of protected areas more comprehensive. Therefore, this paper will first focus on reviewing the current conditions and threats towards biodiversity conservation in tropical protected areas. Then, there will be a discussion on the relationship between the threats that cause issues with the effectiveness of protected areas. From issues that influence protected areas, the criteria or components that are crucial in developing the consolidated index model are identified. The main objective of this paper is to propose a consolidated index model that integrates the components of design and planning, ecological integrity and management to assess the conservation effectiveness of individual terrestrial protected areas in tropical regions. Hence, this paper presents the first step to develop a consolidated index model that can be implemented by park managers to assess conservation effectiveness.