Protected areas don’t always benefit wildlife, global study finds

Study of wetland birds in national parks and other reserves shows that species-specific management is crucial to success

National parks and other protected areas have had mixed success in conserving wildlife, according to the largest ever global study of their effects.

Using wetland bird data from 1,506 protected areas around the world, scientists analysed the trends of more than 27,000 populations, and found that increased provision for the birds had not necessarily helped.