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Real Strategies

Midori Paxton



So where is biodiversity? And how can we avoid losing it? Biodiversity is everywhere. There’s probably a lot of it in your kitchen. But when it comes to big-time biodiversity conservation, Protected Areas (PAs) are a major asset and a key ally. They cover 13 percent of the Earth’s surface and contain the highest concentrations of biodiversity. Strengthening of the PAs is obviously a key strategy. That said, the majority of bio-diversity occurs outside PAs in areas dedicated for agriculture, forestry, fisheries, human occupancy, mining, tourism, etc. Managing these areas is also critical for biodiversity conservation. The integration, or “mainstreaming” of biodiversity-friendly objectives into these production sectors constitutes a key vehicle for achieving sound overall biodiversity management.

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Midori Paxton is a UNDP Regional Technical Adviser (Ecosystems and Natural Resources) for the Asia Pacific Region based in Bangkok. She previously worked in Namibia as coordinator for the UNDP/GEF-supported Strengthening the Protected Area Network (SPAN) Project.

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