A protected area is “an area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means”.
Protected areas have a long history. The earliest record is from 252 BC when Emperor Asoka of India passed a law for the protection of animals, fish and forests in certain areas of his empire. In historical times, protected areas were mostly established as hunting reserves, where the monarch and privileged classes could enjoy hunting for sport. The first modern national park, Yellowstone, was established in the USA in 1872, the first time that a park was established "for the people" rather than as a hunting reserve for the nobility. Today, protected areas provide major sustainable benefits to the whole of society. They play a crucial role in social and economic development, serving many functions: -
They protect representative examples of landscape, vegetation and wildlife from uncontrolled exploitation.
They maintain biodiversity. They maintain the environmental stability of surrounding areas (e.g. prevent floods and droughts.)
They provide opportunities for research and education.
The UN (2003) lists 102,102 protected areas covering more than 18.8 million sq km. If marine protected areas are excluded the terrestrial extent of protected areas is 17.1 million sq km (11.5% of the land surface).