ECOLOGY: Conservation Targets: Do They Help?

No more than 5% of the land area worldwide is being set aside for the protection of nature, and there is little evidence that much tropical biodiversity will survive outside of well-managed reserves. Many international development and conservation organizations recommend that at least 10% of territory be protected, though ecologists generally concur that at least 50% of all species will soon be lost if 90% of the habitat is seriously disrupted. Current policies, therefore, are a prescription for a massive loss of biodiversity.