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Conservation of natural forest ecosystems is the main function
of most protected forest areas. The term "protected area"
encompasses a vast variety of approaches for the management
of forests, depending on management objective. The World Conservation
Union (IUCN) has classified protected areas depending on their
management purpose. IUCN strives to bring 10% of the Earth's
surface area under protection. Based on data from the
World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), c. 5% of
tropical forests is under protection (IUCN categories I-II),
with a higher percentage in (less accessible) mountain forests
and dry sclerophyllous forest (>9%) and a lower in thorn
forest and swamp forests (<2.5%).
Many parks exist on paper but suffer from lack of funding
for active management and human encroachment. In some areas
(such as Tai national Park in Cote d'Ivoire) buffer zones
have been created to form a physical barrier against human
encroachment. In the buffer, more intense forms of management
are permitted than in the park itself, such as agroforestry
practices; hunting; establishing forest and agricultural tree
plantations; and other activities. Support of local populations
for conservation objectives can be promoted by their participation
in buffer zone management
Also in forests managed for other purposes there are conservation
areas. In many standards for sustainable forest management
there is a requirement to set aside a proportion of the productive
forest (generally 5-10%) for biodiversity conservation. These
areas function for the conservation of biodiversity and watershed
values, protection of ecologically sensitive areas such as
riparian zones and steep slopes, as sources for seeds, pollinators
and seed dispersers, and as reference of natural forest in
its pristine state for evaluation of nearby managed forests.
In managed forest themselves substantial biodiversity values
can be conserved, even if certain elements will be lost. From
the viewpoint of biodiversity conservation, forests that are
managed as forest offer many more opportunities for conservation
than most alternative land-use options. There is increasing
appreciation for this role of managed forest for biodiversity
conservation.
Further reference to chapter 1 biodiversity management
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TBI sources
 Steege,
H. ter (2000). Plant diversity in
Guyana: with recommendations for a protected areas strategy
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Hillegers,
P.J.M. and Iongh, H.H. de
Nijman,
V.