Scaling Up: Conservation in a Connected World

Abstract

Conservation practitioners worldwide are scaling up their efforts, moving beyond traditional protected area models to design innovative initiatives that meet conservation challenges at the scale nature requires. These approaches center local communities and Indigenous leadership while also accounting for the realities of climate change, emerging technologies, and their impacts.

This Issues Paper, produced by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Large-Scale Conservation Area Task Force, presents the stories of 12 major conservation initiatives spanning five continents. These case studies show that ambitious, large-scale, long-term, and innovative conservation is not only possible but essential for confronting the intertwined crises of biodiversity loss, climate change, and their impacts on human well-being.

Overall, this collection of case studies highlights advanced efforts in large-scale conservation— each showing tangible progress while also facing challenges that, if addressed, could further accelerate their impact. Together they provide vision, lessons, and inspiration. They also show that political boundaries and longstanding transnational tensions need not limit conservation effectiveness. An analysis of shared themes, challenges, and next steps follows the case studies in the final synthesis chapter.