A protected area with sustainable use of natural resources or managed resource protected area is a
protected area in which the aim is to protect and preserve
biological diversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...
in the long term. The
IUCN defines such areas as Category VI.
IUCN definition
According to the IUCN, protected areas with sustainable use of natural resources are defined as areas that:
{{quote box , quote=conserve ecosystems and habitats, together with associated cultural values and traditional natural resource management systems. They are generally large, with most of the area in a natural condition, where a proportion is under sustainable natural resource management and where low-level non-industrial use of natural resources compatible with nature conservation is seen as one of the main aims of the area.
''Category VI - Protected Area with sustainable use of natural resources''
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629184236/http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/pa/pa_products/wcpa_categories/pa_categoryvi/ , date=2011-06-29 at www.iucn.org. Accessed on 11 Jun 2011.
Criticism
The concept is criticised by ecologist
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
s on the grounds that the aspiration for these areas is hardly practicable in reality because nature conservation is almost never possible without restricting human activity and also because the economic activities of a population inevitably affect the ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
s.
See also
* IUCN protected area categories
References
Protected areas