Population Pressure Indicator (PPI)

How much potential impact may humans living in a protected area have on that protected area and on the habitats, species and ecological processes therein? How much of this potential impact is due to recent (15-year) increases in human population density? By identifying protected areas with low population density, it is possible to highlight locations that are likely to better conserve the species and ecological processes that are associated to more pristine conditions and that are more sensitive to the direct and indirect impacts from human activities. On the other hand, by identifying protected areas with a relatively high or increasing population density, it is possible to suggest in which locations it is likely most necessary to ensure an effective management of the human-nature relationships and the sustainability of human activities. In these locations, a priority would be to orient human activities and livelihoods in ways that are compatible with the conservation targets, such as ecotourism and other regulated recreation activities, or supporting traditional modes of rural development that have been compatible with the persistence of the biodiversity values of the protected area.

Indicator unit: The PPI assesses human population density for a given area in year 2015, expressed as the average number of people per km2 . The CPPI assesses the percent change in human population density for the same area from 2000 to 2015.

Area of interest: PPI and CPPI have been calculated for each terrestrial protected area and for the terrestrial parts of each coastal protected areas. To assess pressures around protected areas, we further computed the indicators for the 10 km unprotected buffer zone around the protected areas of size ≥ 5 km2 . PPI and CPPI are reported in DOPA Explorer for each terrestrial and coastal protected area of size ≥ 1 km2 and their unprotected buffers (values for buffers are reported only for protected areas of size ≥ 5 km2 ). We further show trends regarding the changes in rural and urban population at the country level.

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Data Uploaded by Luca Battistella using the Digital Observatory for Protected Areas Services (2022)