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-----Original Message----- From: Mascia, Michael [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Dear colleagues, I am pleased to announce the beta release of PADDDtracker.org <http://www.padddtracker.org/>, a new crowdsourcing tool designed to monitor PADDD (protected area downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement).* Though conservation policy assumes that national parks and protected areas (PAs) are permanent fixtures on the landscape, scattered evidence points to widespread PADDD - the legal processes by which PAs see their regulations tempered, boundaries shrink, or are wholly eliminated. To date, we have documented thousands of cases of PADDD, affecting over 1,000,000 km2, across 65 countries. Though data surrounding PADDD are sparse, initial findings suggest that PADDD is driven by a mix of global resource demands and local land pressures. In some cases, PADDD may advance conservation goals through improved allocation of conservation resources. To better understand the patterns, trends, causes, and consequences of PADDD, we developed PADDDtracker.org <http://www.padddtracker.org/> , which integrates a wiki-style global database and online user forum with spatial mapping tools to collect and share PADDD data. PADDDtracker.org is designed to: . Advance understanding of the contexts, causes, and conservation implications of PADDD . Foster transparency and accountability in natural resource decision-making PADDDtracker.org users can: Search for PADDD Want to know where, when, and why PADDD happened? Search by country, year, cause, or other criteria to view details about individual PADDD events or an entire country. Discuss PADDD Want to start a conversation about a PADDD event? Add a comment or rate data quality to share your thoughts with peers around the world. Contribute new PADDD information Know about an instance of downgrading, downsizing, or degazettement not included in PADDDtracker.org? Users can add PADDD events to the database or edit existing information. To learn more, visit <http://www.padddtracker.org/> . We hope you will visit PADDDtracker.org and help us to correct mistakes, fill in the missing pieces, and identify new PADDD events. Please send comments, suggestions for improvement, and questions to Roopa Krithivasan ([log in to unmask]). We hope PADDDtracker.org will serve as a valuable resource for you. Best, Mike PS For more information, please see Mascia and Pailler 2011 <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2010.00147.x/full> and Focus 2012 <http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/wwf/focus_091012/#/22> . * Protected Area Downgrading, Dowsizing, and Degazettement (PADDD) Definitions: Downgrading - A decrease in legal restrictions on the number, magnitude, or extent of human activities within a protected area by the relevant authority Downsizing - A decrease in size of a protected area as a result of excision of land or sea area through a legal boundary change Degazettement - Loss of legal status for a protected area under government administration (national, state, provincial, or local) Michael B. Mascia, Ph.D. Director, Social Science | Conservation Science Program | World Wildlife Fund 1250 24th Street NW | Washington, DC 20037 USA | +1.202.495.4532 | Fax: +1.202.293.9211 [log in to unmask] | www.worldwildlife.org/science | www.conservationletters.com | www.PADDDtracker.org