An Evaluation of Protected Area Policies in the European Union

Résumé

The European Union designates 26% of its landmass as a protected area, limiting economic development to favor biodiversity. We use the staggered introduction of protected areas between 1985 and 2020 to study the selection of land for protection and the causal effect of protection on vegetation cover and nightlights. Protection did not affect these outcomes in any meaningful way across four decades, countries, protection cohorts, population density, or land, soil, and climate characteristics. We conclude that European conservation efforts lack ambition because policymakers protect land not threatened by development or choose weak protection levels on lands that face development pressure.

Mots-clés

land protection; conservation; biodiversity; deforestation; vegetation cover; night-lights; staggered difference-in-differences;

Codes JEL

Q23: Forestry
Q24: Land
Q57: Ecological Economics: Ecosystem Services • Biodiversity Conservation • Bioeconomics • Industrial Ecology
R14: Land Use Patterns