M.R Pourmajidian - Associate Prof., Department of Forest Sciences, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran
M Yousefi Valikchali - Ph.D. Student of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Department of Forest Sciences, Gorgan Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Gorgan, Iran.
Lee Darvishi - M.Sc. Department of Rangeland Management, University of Tehran, Iran

Protected areas (PAs) - clearly defined geographical spaces, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values - remain the cornerstones of almost all national and international conservation strategies. They act as refuges for species and ecological processes that cannot survive in intensely managed landscapes and seascapes and as a rich source of species for populating the wider landscape and seascape. Their role in biodiversity conservation is all the more important in a world faced with growing pressures and threats, notably from climate change, food insecurity and rapid population growth. They also provide space for natural evolution to take place, and the biological resources for ecological restoration. PAs globally are estimated to hold 312 Gt of carbon or at least 15% of terrestrial carbon storage. Protected areas also play an important role in adaptation to climate change (ecosystem-based adaptation) as they can contribute to helping populations adapt to the impacts of climate change, such as flooding, desertification or landslides. Finally, recent assessments of change in land use/cover indicate that while PAs can help to reduce deforestation, they are nevertheless becoming increasingly isolated, thus disregarding ecological, cultural, and social processes that are known to influence the permanence of forest ecosystems at landscape scales.

Protected Areas; Biodiversity Conservation; Climate Change; Environmental Challenges; Ecosystem Services