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Currently some 13% of the world’s terrestrial surface and 4% of marine areas (0-200 nautical miles) under national jurisdiction is protected. These areas serve to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services. However, it is well known that they face multiple drivers of change and threats that contribute to their decline and degradation. As our conceptions of the roles and functions of protected areas evolve over the coming decade, we expect that corresponding adjustments in policy will allow protected areas to continue contributing to livelihoods and cultural practices, generating tourism revenues, bolstering local and national economies, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and providing habitat for populations and species.

The ecological linkages between water, wetlands and forests represent the intricate interdependence of our ecosystems and our resources. Forests play a pivotal role in the hydrological cycle by affecting rates of transpiration and evaporation, and influencing how water is routed and stored in a watershed. This consequently plays a vital role in the preservation of our wetlands, which act as natural reservoirs and are extremely rich in terms of both biodiversity and the ecological services that they provide, for example, within the realms of agriculture, sanitation, and energy