Work

Why verification and validation of public databases matters: Comment on “Using key and critical biodiversity areas to identify gaps in the protected area network in the Limpopo Province, South Africa”

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Broadly used in South African conservation studies, the South African Protected Areas Database is known to contain limitations that require restructuring before use. By replicating the methodology of a recent study in northern Limpopo Province, South Africa, we show how failing to account for such limitations leads to unintentional errors which substantially misrepresent the size of the protected area estate, resulting in a questionable assessment of its contribution to biodiversity conservation targets. Given the implications of employing inaccurate protected area data alongside proposed industrial development and mining that would compromise the ecological integrity of the study area, we stress the importance of validating the national dataset against updated information, provincial-level data, and local knowledge.

Source: Conservation Science and Practice

DOI: 10.1111/csp2.70137

Authors: Jabu Linden, Peter John Taylor

Institutions: University of the Free State, University of Venda

Language: English

Topic: Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life on land

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,240