Conclusion

This book has demonstrated that protected areas make a significant contribution to the conservation of the Earths biodiversity, geodiversity and cultural heritage. They help to maintain ecological processes and functions that are essential for the health and wellbeing of ecosystems and people, and they mitigate the impacts of climate change. They are an intergenerational investment. At a time when human impacts on Earth are rapidly increasing and as pressures on the worlds species and ecosystems intensify, protected areas are subject to ever more threats and demands for unsustainable useand they are becoming increasingly important.