ABSTRACT

Tropical rainforest ecosystems that function as biodiversity pools had been undermined because of anthropogenic activities. Research has shown that protected areas (PAs) have become the first safeguard for biodiversity. However, how to measure the effectiveness of PAs remains unclear. We present spatiotemporal changes within the PAs and non-PAs in the Leuser Ecosystem, which is one of the significant global landscapes, using intensity analysis during two time periods and propensity score matching to investigate the effectiveness of PAs. We classified land cover using machine learning based on remotely sensed data. Our results revealed the effectiveness of PAs compared with non-PAs. The new conservation intervention after 2008 resulted in the deacceleration of deforestation from 2000–2010 to 2010–2020. In addition, PAs can reduce deforestation two times more effectively than non-PAs. Therefore, PAs and good governance within the Leuser Ecosystem are crucial in maintaining the natural ecosystem to address global conservation targets.

摘要

由于人为活动，作为生物多样性库发挥作用的热带雨林生态系统遭到破坏。研究表明，保护区（PAs）已成为生物多样性的首要保障。然而，如何衡量 PA 的有效性仍不清楚。我们展示了 Leuser 生态系统中 PA 和非 PA 的时空变化，这是重要的全球景观之一，使用两个时间段的强度分析和倾向得分匹配来研究 PA 的有效性。我们使用基于遥感数据的机器学习对土地覆盖进行分类。我们的结果揭示了 PA 与非 PA 相比的有效性。2008 年之后的新保护干预措施导致 2000-2010 年至 2010-2020 年森林砍伐速度放缓。此外，保护区可以比非保护区更有效地减少森林砍伐两倍。因此，Leuser 生态系统内的保护区和良好治理对于维护自然生态系统以实现全球保护目标至关重要。