Pervasive cropland in protected areas highlight trade-offs between conservation and food security

Biodiversity conservation strategies emphasize protected area expansion to mitigate species losses by safeguarding habitat. However, demand for land for food production is also increasing. This paper establishes a baseline estimate of where and why cropland occurs in protected areas. Cropland will not be effective in conserving many species, particularly habitat specialists, rare, and threatened species. This suggests a reexamination of the effectiveness of area-based protected area planning is needed. The success of post-2020 biodiversity management depends on addressing trade-offs with food production by creating opportunities to integrate ecosystem conservation and restoration with programs for hunger and malnutrition.