title: Assessing the benefits of Transboundary Protected Areas: a questionnaire survey in the Americas and the Caribbean.
abstract: There are more than 3000 protected areas (PAs) situated on or near international boundaries, and amongst them there is an increasing trend towards the establishment of transboundary cooperation initiatives. Proponents of Transboundary PAs (TBPAs) highlight the potential for biodiversity protection through spatial, management and socio-economic benefits. However, there have been few formal studies that assess these benefits. It is possible that the relaxation of boundary controls to optimise transboundary connectivity may increase the risk of impacts from invasive species or illegal human incursion. We sought to investigate the validity of these proposed benefits and potential risks through a questionnaire survey of 113 PAs, of which 39 responded and met our inclusion criteria. 82% felt that transboundary cooperation has benefits for biodiversity and, across PAs, the self-reported level of transboundary communication was positively associated with some improved spatial, management and socio-economic benefits. However, 26% of PAs reported that they never communicated with their internationally adjoining protected area, indicating unrealised potential for greater gains.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK; Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group, World Commission on Protected Areas, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland. Electronic address: jamie.mccallum@zsl.org.
authors.forename: Jamie W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: McCallum
authors.affiliation: Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group, World Commission on Protected Areas, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland. Electronic address: maja.vasilijevic1@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vasilijević
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK. Electronic address: I.Cuthill@bristol.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Innes
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cuthill
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D017691:Caribbean Region; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Conservation management; Ecological economics; Protected areas; Transboundary cooperation; Transboundary movement