Editing Protected area (section)

==Definition==
The definition that has been widely accepted across regional and global frameworks has been provided by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN) in its categorisation guidelines for protected areas.<ref>{{Cite web|date=10 September 2015|title=About|url=https://www.iucn.org/theme/protected-areas/about|access-date=5 August 2020|website=IUCN|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sprep.org/attachments/VirLib/PNG/guidelines-protected-area-categories-mpa.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727044751/https://www.sprep.org/attachments/VirLib/PNG/guidelines-protected-area-categories-mpa.pdf |archive-date=2021-07-27 |url-status=live|title=Guidelines for Applying the IUCN Protected Area Management Categories to Marine Protected Areas}}</ref> The definition is as follows:<ref name="PA" />

<blockquote>A clearly defined geographical space, 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.</blockquote>

=== Protected Areas and Climate Change ===
{{Main|Climate Change}}
[[File:Change in Average Temperature.svg|thumb|Change in average temperature]]
Protected Areas alleviate [[climate change]] effects in a variety of ways:

* Prohibition of degradative activities including: fishing, hunting, development, agriculture, mining, logging, and sometimes entry.<ref name="CW">{{Cite book |last=Scott. |first=Mills, L. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1347768873 |title=Conservation of Wildlife Populations : Demography, Genetics, and Management. |date=27 September 2012 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-118-40669-4 |oclc=1347768873}}</ref>
* Reduction in: shifts in species distribution, intensity of storms, and impacts of sea level rise.<ref name="CW" />
* [[File:Climate change threats to coral reefs.png|thumb|upright=1.75|Climate change threats to coral reefs]]Combats [[ocean acidification]] by: maintaining coastal primary producers, increasing teleost biomass ([[Osmoregulation|osmosregulation]] buffers pH change), and increasing natural carbon sequestration via the [[biological pump]]<ref name="CW" />
* Increased: populations, species resilience, genetic diversity, and potential for adaptations, lowering the risk of extinction<ref name="CW" />