Guarding nature’s crown jewels

HUMANS have changed the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere and all of its oceans. We impact on 83% of the world’s land and have permanently altered a third of it.

Another third will be changed within a century. To date, 911 World Heritage Sites and 580 Biosphere Reserves have been designated worldwide. About 13% of the land and 0.5% of the oceans are officially protected.

There are 7,000 national parks in 140 countries. In Crown Jewels; five great national parks around the world and the challenges they face, Randolph Delehanty, of the Presidio Trust San Francisco, has asked experts to write about six of them and the problems they face.