The financial needs vs. the realities of in situ conservation: an analysis of federal funding for protected areas in Brazil’s Caatinga

In situ conservation is an effective strategy to protect biodiversity, and Brazil has one of the largest protected area (PA) systems in the world. However, the distribution of Brazilian PAs is uneven and the Caatinga drylands are poorly protected. As financial resources are essential for effectively managing PAs, we analyzed the Brazilian Government's budget allocated to 20 federal PAs in the Caatinga between 2008 and 2014, which ranged from 231,575 USD in 2008 to 13.5 Mi USD in 2011. Neither expenses, nor the availability of funds, were homogeneous among PAs or throughout the years. Land acquisition in a single PA consumed ~75% of the budget, and the two smallest PAs received proportionally the most money. Excluding land acquisition, the 20 PAs received 0.50 USD/ha/year. Funds were allocated not to biodiversity conservation per se but mainly to securing offices, cars, and equipment. From 2012 onwards, the PA budget was reduced. Even including salaries, the budget allocated for these PA...

就地保护（in situ conservation）是保护生物多样性的有效策略，巴西拥有全球规模最大的保护区（Protected Area，PA）体系之一。然而巴西保护区的分布并不均衡，卡廷加干旱区的保护状况尤为薄弱。鉴于财政资源是有效管理保护区的必要保障，本研究分析了2008至2014年间巴西联邦政府划拨给卡廷加地区20处联邦保护区的预算资金，其额度区间为2008年的231575美元至2011年的13.5百万美元。各保护区的经费开支与资金可获得性在不同年度间均存在显著差异。单处保护区的土地购置成本一度占总预算的约75%，而规模最小的两处保护区获得的资金占比相对最高。若剔除土地购置成本，这20处保护区的年均单位面积资金投入为0.50美元/公顷/年。资金的分配并非直接用于生物多样性保护本身，而是主要用于办公场所、车辆及设备的购置与保障。2012年起，保护区预算开始缩减。即便将人员薪资纳入核算范围，针对这些保护区的划拨预算……