Why socio-political borders and boundaries matter in conservation.

Acting to demarcate the spatial limits of decision-making processes, socio-political boundaries are an inevitable part of a human-dominated world. Rarely coincident with ecological boundaries, and thus having no ecological functional role by themselves, they nevertheless impose substantial costs on biodiversity and ecosystem conservation by fragmenting ownership, governance, and management. Where boundaries are in place, a lack of coordination on either side of a boundary affects the efficiency and efficacy of ecosystem management. We suggest four research pathways which will enhance our ability to address the adverse effects of socio-political borders on conservation: (i) scale-matching, (ii) quantification of the mutual economic benefits of conservation across boundaries, (iii) determining transboundary societal values, and (iv) acknowledging the importance of stakeholder behaviour and incentives.

• Publication year

  2015

• Venue

  Trends in Ecology & Evolution

• Publication date

  2015-03-01

• Fields of study

  Political Science, Medicine, Business, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/j.tree.2014.12.004PMID 25637933
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Regional agreements in international environmental politics

  2016cited by this paper
• Achieving Cross‐Scale Collaboration for Large Scale Conservation Initiatives

  2015cited by this paper
• Patriotic values for public goods: transnational trade-offs for biodiversity and ecosystem services?

  2015cited by this paper
• Factors Determining the Choice of Hunting and Trading Bushmeat in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania

  2014cited by this paper
• EU agricultural reform fails on biodiversity

  2014cited by this paper
• Regional Management of Farmland Feeding Geese Using an Ecological Prioritization Tool

  2014cited by this paper
• Optimal Management of a Multispecies Shorebird Flyway under Sea‐Level Rise

  2014cited by this paper
• IPBES ≠ IPCC.

  2014cited by this paper
• IPBES 6 IPCC

  2014cited by this paper
• Migratory Animals Couple Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning Worldwide

  2014cited by this paper
• Conservation Success as a Function of Good Alignment of Social and Ecological Structures and Processes

  2014cited by this paper
• Conserving mobile species

  2014cited by this paper
• Connectivity between flyway populations of waterbirds: assessment of rates of exchange, their causes and consequences

  2014cited by this paper
• Governance in Transboundary Conservation: How Institutional Structure and Path Dependence Matter

  2013cited by this paper
• Scale Mismatches, Conservation Planning, and the Value of Social‐Network Analyses

  2013cited by this paper
• SEARCHING FOR COMMON GROUND: URBAN BORDERLANDS IN A WORLD OF BORDERS AND BOUNDARIES

  2013cited by this paper
• Frontiers inEcology and the Environment Conservation when nothing stands still : moving targets and biodiversity offsets

  2013cited by this paper
• Incorporating Socioeconomic and Political Drivers of International Collaboration into Marine Conservation Planning

  2013cited by this paper
• A Novel Approach to Assessing the Prevalence and Drivers of Illegal Bushmeat Hunting in the Serengeti

  2013cited by this paper
• The effectiveness of international environmental agreements

  2013cited by this paper
• Biodiversity decreases disease through predictable changes in host community competence

  2013cited by this paper
• Population Based Species Management Across Legal Boundaries: The Bern Convention, Habitats Directive, and the Gray Wolf in Scandinavia

  2013cited by this paper
• Water Conflict Chronology

  2012cited by this paper
• How should we incentivize private landowners to ‘produce’ more biodiversity?

  2012cited by this paper
• Connectedness and connectivity of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas across country borders in the European Union

  2012cited by this paper
• Transboundary Environmental Governance: Inland, Coastal and Marine Perspectives

  2012cited by this paper
• Self-Enforcing Peace and Environmental Agreements: Toward Scholarly Cross-Fertilization?†

  2012cited by this paper
• The annual cycle of a trans-equatorial Eurasian–African passerine migrant: different spatio-temporal strategies for autumn and spring migration

  2012cited by this paper
• Multiple habitat associations: the role of offsite habitat in determining onsite avian density and species richness

  2012cited by this paper
• Assessing extinction risk across borders: Integration of a biogeographical approach into regional IUCN assessment?

  2011cited by this paper
• Conserving a moving target: planning protection for a migratory species as its distribution changes

  2011cited by this paper
• Administrative regions in conservation: Balancing local priorities with regional to global preferences in spatial planning

  2011cited by this paper
• Accounting for the ecosystem services of migratory species: Quantifying migration support and spatial subsidies

  2011cited by this paper
• : International and EU species protection law and the return of lynx, wolf and bear to Western Europe

  2010cited by this paper
• An agglomeration payment for cost-effective biodiversity conservation in spatially structured landscapes

  2010cited by this paper
• Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity

  2010cited by this paper
• Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity

  2010cited by this paper
• Analyse des points faibles de l'Ordonnace sur la qualité écologique

  2010cited by this paper
• Eine Schwachstellenanalyse der Ökoqualitätsverordnung

  2010cited by this paper
• Ecosystem services across borders: a framework for transboundary conservation policy

  2010cited by this paper
• Transboundary cooperation in establishing ecological networks: The case of Germany's external borders

  2010cited by this paper
• Using Choice Experiments to Explore the Spatial Distribution of Willingness to Pay for Rural Landscape Improvements

  2009cited by this paper
• What explains property-level variation in avian diversity? An inter-disciplinary approach

  2009cited by this paper
• Transboundary management of large carnivores in Europe: from incident to opportunity

  2009cited by this paper
• Pelagic protected areas: the missing dimension in ocean conservation.

  2009cited by this paper
• Governance for the Environment: Environmental governance and political science

  2009cited by this paper
• Between-country collaboration and consideration of costs increase conservation planning efficiency in the Mediterranean Basin

  2009cited by this paper
• Going, Going, Gone: Is Animal Migration Disappearing

  2008cited by this paper
• Where to put things? Spatial land management to sustain biodiversity and economic returns

  2008cited by this paper
• Shared Waters: Conflict and Cooperation

  2007cited by this paper
• Toward Conceptual Cohesiveness: a Historical Analysis of the Theory and Utility of Ecological Boundaries and Transition Zones

  2007cited by this paper
• Domesticated Nature: Shaping Landscapes and Ecosystems for Human Welfare

  2007cited by this paper
• Generations and the ‘Development’ of Border Studies

  2005cited by this paper
• Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Biodiversity Synthesis

  2005cited by this paper
• Transboundary Conservation: A New Vision for Protected Areas

  2005cited by this paper
• The Introduction of Price Signals into Land Use Planning Decision-making: A Proposal

  2004cited by this paper
• A Framework for a Theory of Ecological Boundaries

  2003cited by this paper
• Bordering, ordering and othering

  2002cited by this paper
• Does Trade Openness Promote Multilateral Environmental Cooperation

  2002cited by this paper
• Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth

  2001cited by this paper
• Economics of the Endangered Species Act

  1998cited by this paper
• Provided for Non-commercial Research and Educational Use Only. Not for Reproduction or Distribution or Commercial Use. Transboundary River Floods: Examining Countries, International River Basins and Continents

  year unknowncited by this paper

• Unveiling Tree Species Diversity and Ecological Similarity Networks: Insights from National Forest Inventory South Korea

  2026cites this paper
• Mapping stakeholders in plover bird conservation: An expert-based analysis of interest and influence

  2026cites this paper
• Intertwined threats of nationalized nature and privatized ecological research for global biodiversity conservation.

  2026cites this paper
• Species' habitat change over twenty years in Colombia's tropical dry forests

  2026cites this paper
• Focus on the Responsibility of States under International Law for Environmental Damages that Cross Borders

  2025cites this paper
• Evaluating transboundary connectivity to support cross-border conservation between Canada and the United States

  2025cites this paper
• Heightened extinction risk due to tropical cyclones in insular biodiversity hotspots

  2025cites this paper
• Animal-state relations: A critical multispecies geopolitics of animality

  2025cites this paper
• Movements and Survival of Adult Mule Deer Bucks in a Wildlife Enterprise Trophy Ranching Context

  2025cites this paper
• Measuring the Degree of ‘Fit’ Within Social‐Ecological Systems to Support Local Flood Risk Decision‐Making

  2025cites this paper
• Species loss in key habitats accelerates regional food web disruption

  2025cites this paper
• Cross-border ungulate protection: Identifying transboundary conservation challenges and integrated solutions in response to human disturbance and climate change.

  2025cites this paper
• Multi-Hazards and Existing Data: A Transboundary Assessment for Climate Planning

  2025cites this paper
• Integrating biodiversity hotspots, ecological gradients, and ecosystem services for transboundary conservation in the Gaoligong Mountains

  2025influential citation
• Ecosystem Risk Management: A MIP Approach to Spatial Prioritization of Multiple Management Actions

  2025cites this paper
• Mammals on the edge: how the border wall, roads, and riparian areas impact mammal populations along the US-Mexico boundary.

  2025cites this paper
• International consensus principles for the sustainable harvest of polar bears

  2025cites this paper
• Global patterns of border protected areas reveal gaps in transboundary conservation efforts

  2025cites this paper
• From silos to solutions: Navigating transdisciplinary conservation research for early career researchers

  2025cites this paper
• The endogenous action space in urban biodiversity governance: Socio-political fragmentation, serendipity of agency, and value articulation strategies

  2025cites this paper
• Parallels and discrepancies between non‐native species introductions and human migration

  2025cites this paper
• Coastal wetland resilience through local, regional and global conservation

  2025cites this paper
• Tracking implementation of shark-related measures and actions in the Mediterranean region in the context of international law

  2025cites this paper
• Anthropogenic Hybridization Contributes to the Naturalization of Introduced Domestic Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) at the Expense of Native New Zealand Gray Ducks (A. s. superciliosa)

  2025cites this paper
• The Species at Risk Act (2002) and Transboundary Species Listings along the US–Canada Border

  2024cites this paper
• Professionalism and Ethical Boundaries in Patient Relationship

  2024cites this paper
• DivShift: Exploring Domain-Specific Distribution Shifts in Large-Scale, Volunteer-Collected Biodiversity Datasets

  2024cites this paper
• Mapping cultural diversity conservation networks to enhance cultural sustainability in rural Southwest China

  2024cites this paper
• Cliffs support lichen communities unique from nearby forests

  2024cites this paper
• Nearly half of Colombian artisan craft plant species lack national and international vulnerability assessments

  2024cites this paper
• DivShift: Exploring Domain-Specific Distribution Shift in Volunteer-Collected Biodiversity Datasets

  2024cites this paper
• Assessing species at risk legislation across Canadian provinces and territories

  2024cites this paper
• Institutional fit and policy design in water governance: Nebraska's Natural Resources Districts

  2024cites this paper
• Optimal conservation outcomes consider donor geography and their willingness to support more distant projects

  2024cites this paper
• Insufficient and biased representation of species geographic responses to climate change

  2024cites this paper
• The landlocked ocean: landlocked states in BBNJ negotiations and the impact of fixed land-sea relations in global ocean governance

  2024cites this paper
• GC Insights: Fostering transformative change for biodiversity restoration through transdisciplinary research

  2024cites this paper
• A social-ecological network approach to quantify the supply-demand-flow of grain ecosystem service

  2023cites this paper
• Developing a framework to improve global estimates of conservation area coverage

  2023cites this paper
• Multiplying the impact of conservation funding using spatial exchange rates

  2023cites this paper
• Overcoming Episodic Political Uncertainties and Tensions: Borderland Conservation Communities of Practice and the Bridging and Linking of Social Capital

  2023cites this paper
• Transboundary conservation opportunities for Cerrado's plant species

  2023cites this paper
• EMPTY CONTAINERS, OVERFLOWING RIVERS: STATE FUNDED FENCING AND IMPACTS IN EAGLE PASS, TEXAS

  2023cites this paper
• The European freshwater landscape and hotspot areas of mass effects and regional connectivity

  2023cites this paper
• Where, When, What, and Which? Using Characteristics of Migratory Species to Inform Conservation Policy Questions

  2023cites this paper
• Watershed Horizontal Ecological Compensation Policy and Green Ecological City Development: Spatial and Mechanism Assessment

  2023cites this paper
• Untangling Invasive Narratives: Boundaries, Belonging, and Narrative Agency

  2023cites this paper
• A network perspective of human–nature interactions in dynamic and fast-changing landscapes

  2023cites this paper
• Multi‐species, multi‐country analysis reveals North Americans are willing to pay for transborder migratory species conservation

  2022cites this paper
• Legal Framework for Pontocaspian Biodiversity Conservation in the Danube Delta (Romania and Ukraine)

  2022cites this paper
• Distance and Regional Effects on the Value of Wild Bee Conservation

  2022cites this paper
• Hutsuls’ perceptions of forests and uses of forest resource in Ukrainian and Romanian Bukovina

  2022cites this paper
• Hutsuls' Perceptions of Forests and Uses of Forest Resource in Ukrainian and Romanian Bukovina

  2022cites this paper
• Conservation science and policy should care about violent extremism

  2022cites this paper
• Connectivity between countries established by landbirds and raptors migrating along the African–Eurasian flyway

  2022cites this paper
• Geodiversity inclusiveness in biodiversity assessment

  2022cites this paper
• The cost of war for biodiversity: a potential ecocide in Ukraine

  2022cites this paper
• La rivière et des hommes :quelle gouvernance pour la restauration des rivières ?

  2022cites this paper
• A roadmap for the conservation of freshwater mussels in Europe

  2022cites this paper
• Protected area planning to conserve biodiversity in an uncertain future

  2022cites this paper
• New indicators for delineating priority regions for ecosystem conservation based on the criterion of cost-effectiveness

  2022cites this paper
• Global inequities and political borders challenge nature conservation under climate change

  2021cites this paper
• Environmental Impact Bonds: a common framework and looking ahead

  2021cites this paper
• A Soft Clustering Approach to Detect Socio-Ecological Landscape Boundaries Using Bayesian Networks

  2021cites this paper
• Spatial variation in vital rates and population growth of thick-billed murres in the Atlantic Arctic

  2021cites this paper
• Frontiers of protected areas versus forest exploitation: Assessing habitat network functionality in 16 case study regions globally

  2021cites this paper
• News selection and framing: the media as a stakeholder in human–carnivore coexistence

  2021cites this paper
• Using Historical Archives and Landsat Imagery to Explore Changes in the Mangrove Cover of Peninsular Malaysia between 1853 and 2018

  2021cites this paper
• Opportunities for the conservation of migratory birds to benefit threatened resident vertebrates in the Neotropics

  2021cites this paper
• Ecoregion: contours of the concept

  2021cites this paper
• Developing a nature recovery network using systematic conservation planning

  2021cites this paper
• Land trust investments in land protection may increase philanthropic giving to conservation

  2021cites this paper
• The importance of Indigenous Territories for conserving bat diversity across the Amazon biome

  2021cites this paper
• Identifying mismatches between conservation area networks and vulnerable populations using spatial randomization

  2021cites this paper
• Restoration of transborder connectivity for Fennoscandian brown bears (Ursus arctos)

  2021cites this paper
• Modeling an aspirational connected network of protected areas across North America

  2021cites this paper
• Biodiversity Conservation and Management in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region: Are Transboundary Landscapes a Promising Solution?

  2020cites this paper
• B/ordering the environmental commons

  2020cites this paper
• Using Individualised Choice Maps to Capture the Spatial Dimensions of Value Within Choice Experiments

  2020cites this paper
• Taking stock of the empirical evidence on the insurance value of ecosystems

  2020cites this paper
• Ecological markers to monitor migratory bird populations: Integrating citizen science and transboundary management for conservation purposes.

  2020cites this paper
• Ex situ management as insurance against extinction of mammalian megafauna in an uncertain world

  2020cites this paper
• Status of coastal biodiversity in the face of climate change with respect to islands

  2020cites this paper
• Assessing the spatial management of mangroves and small-scale fisheries in protected areas on the Brazilian Amazon coast

  2020cites this paper
• Trends in the occurrence of large Whooping Crane groups during migration in the great plains, USA

  2020cites this paper
• Scalar capital as ingredient of success in conservation governance: evidence from Melanesia

  2020cites this paper
• Endemism patterns are scale dependent

  2020cites this paper
• Challenges for the Governance of Small-Scale Fisheries on the Brazil-Bolivia Transboundary Region

  2020cites this paper
• Developing a Landscape Design Approach for the Sustainable Land Management of Hill Country Farms in New Zealand

  2020cites this paper
• Distribution of the European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) at the edge of the South-Western Palaearctic: transboundary differences and conservation prospects

  2020cites this paper
• Social network analysis reveals a lack of support for greenspace conservation

  2020cites this paper
• Gaps and biases in the protection of transnational lakes: a global assessment

  2020cites this paper
• Identifying migratory pathways of Nathusius' pipistrelles (Pipistrellus nathusii) using stable hydrogen and strontium isotopes.

  2020cites this paper
• Chinese Resident Preferences for African Elephant Conservation: Choice Experiment

  2020cites this paper
• Prioritizing threat management across terrestrial and freshwater realms for species conservation and recovery

  2020cites this paper
• Conservation planning in an uncertain climate: Identifying projects that remain valuable and feasible across future scenarios

  2020cites this paper
• Flexibility in the Migration Strategies of Animals

  2020cites this paper
• Beyond boundaries: Contouring transboundary landscapes in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

  2020cites this paper
• Gaps and biases in the protection of transnational lakes: a global assessment

  2020cites this paper
• A Mosaic of Land Tenure and Ownership Creates Challenges and Opportunities for Transboundary Conservation in the US-Mexico Borderlands

  2019cites this paper