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Conservation of birds in fragmented landscapes requires protected areas

For successful conservation of biodiversity, it is vital to know whether protected areas in increasingly fragmented landscapes effectively safeguard species. However, how large habitat fragments must be, and what level of protection is required to sustain species, remains poorly known. We compiled a global dataset on almost 2000 bird species in 741 forest fragments varying in size and protection status, and show that protection is associated with higher bird occurrence, especially for threatened species. Protection becomes increasingly effective with increasing size of forest fragments.

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Over the last decade, the area protected for nature in Australia has shot up by almost half. Our national reserve system now covers 20% of the country. That’s a positive step for the thousands of species teetering on the edge of extinction. But it’s only a step.