Do tropical PAs attract human settlers to adjacent areas? Not enough data to tell, expert says
Does the creation of protected areas draw people to settle on their fringes, negatively impacting ecosystems and biodiversity? According to an opinion piece in Tropical Conservation Science the answer to this question is to date unknown.
According to a number of studies population has grown around many tropical protected areas, but researchers have yet to establish a direct pattern between reserve-creation and human migration. They speculate that protected areas could draw people due to perceived economic benefits from tourism or because locals see protected areas as rich in natural resources, which have been lost elsewhere.