The global network of terrestrial protected areas (PAs) has experienced a fourfold expansion since the 1970s. Yet, there is increasing debate around the role of the global PA estate in covering and sustaining threatened species, with serious ramifications for current PA financing and the setting of post‐2020 global conservation targets. By comparing “past” (1970s) and current distribution range of 237 mammals, and measuring the proportion of range covered by PAs in the past and in the present, we show that a small number of PAs have now become the last bastions of hope for ensuring the persistence of many mammal species. For 187 species (∼79% of those analyzed) the proportion of range covered by PAs has doubled over the time period, with 10% of all species now having most of their current range protected. This increase in proportional protection over time is largely due to a retreat of species distribution (outside existing PAs) and, in smaller part, to PA expansion. It is clear that adequately resourcing those PAs critical in sustaining mammal species is now essential, to avert a worldwide rapid mammal loss.

中文翻译：

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现在，保护区是许多濒危哺乳动物物种的最后据点

自1970年代以来，全球陆地保护区（PA）网络经历了四倍的扩张。然而，关于全球保护区遗产在覆盖和维持受威胁物种中的作用的辩论越来越多，对目前的保护区资金和设定的2020年后全球保护目标产生了严重影响。通过比较“过去”（1970年代）和237种哺乳动物的当前分布范围，并测量过去和现在PA所覆盖范围的比例，我们表明，少数PA现在已成为人们希望的最后堡垒确保许多哺乳动物物种的持久性。在这段时间内，对于187种（约占被分析物种的79％），PA覆盖范围的比例增加了一倍，现在所有物种中有10％的大部分当前范围受到保护。随着时间的流逝，比例保护的增加主要是由于物种分布的退缩（在现有保护区之外），在较小的部分是由于保护区的扩大。显然，为避免全球范围内的哺乳动物迅速流失，对维持哺乳动物物种至关重要的那些PA进行必要的补充现如今至关重要。