Analysis of national and international legislation for development of protected areas networks

This thesis investigated the legislative and policy initiatives for corridor development and implementation to conserve terrestrial and marine biodiversity. I examined conservation strategies in both systems, specifically the use of corridors to functionally connect protected areas into networks. I developed a set of ecological criteria against which legislation and policy were assessed. The capacity of legislation to develop corridors and networks at the international, multinational, national, and provincial/state jurisdictional levels was analysed, using corridor case studies from Canada, the United States, the European Union, and Australia. Policy frameworks for corridors and networks of protected areas have been developed for both terrestrial and marine systems, but these frameworks have largely not been translated into legislation. Inconsistencies among jurisdictional levels, and a general lack of legislative provisions to implement corridors at most jurisdictional levels represent barriers to effective management.