These factors, in combination, suggest that deforestation inside the protected area is likely to occur at a slower rate than elsewhere. Nevertheless, logging was still found to take place within KSNP when no other sources of timber or space for farmland were available. If KSNP was effective in preventing the spread of illegal logging, then there would have been no deforestation within the PA and this was clearly not the case as illustrated by the 1985–2002 forest loss patterns. Method validation The value of our conclusions should be set in the context of possible limitations of the modelling framework used. Deforestation patterns were modelled based on knowledge of historical patterns across the region

and therefore assumed that future deforestation processes would progress at the same rate as observed over the ensuing 20 years. Whilst it was not possible for the models to account for any increases in deforestation rates, the incorporation Selleck Selonsertib TGF-beta inhibitor of a deforestation threshold did enable the models to limit clearance in the most remote areas. The spatio-temporal deforestation patterns across southern and central Sumatra, similarly, show that submontane and montane areas are less likely to be converted to farmland, even after they become accessible, as farmers will tend to search for unoccupied lower lying areas (Gaveau et al. 2007; Linkie et al. 2008).

The correlates of deforestation may change over time and, so, the spatial model should be periodically updated to reflect these changes. In our HAS1 models, this was partially controlled for through the construction of revised distance to forest edge covariate after each annual forest loss stage. Nevertheless, the goodness of fit values (r 2) obtained from the regression analyses showed that these models did not explain all of the variation and that model good-of-fit could have been improved through the incorporation of additional covariates. For conservation areas with detailed law enforcement data, it would be interesting to focus on the funds required to deter

loggers per km2 and whether this investment changes with increased accessibility. In addition, for conservation areas that are able to determine how their financial investments translate into action on the ground, different scenarios could be run based on varying budget allocations. For example, presumably it is PLX3397 research buy cheaper to patrol a smaller number of clumped patches than lots that are far apart or far from a patrol unit’s headquarter. Finally, the protection scenarios presented in this study assigned full protection to the focal patrol areas through a minimum risk threshold value. Even though such generalizations are useful to study the effect of different intervention strategies, this could be enhanced through modelling the gradual effects of forest patrols and spatial shifts in deforestation pressure resulting from intervention strategies.