Spatiotemporal variation in costs of managing protected areas

Abstract Funding for protected areas is limited and recurrent costs associated with managing these sites must be considered in planning their acquisition. However, most conservation planning studies either ignore management costs or use snapshot estimates, even though they vary through time. We surveyed expenditures on management made over 15 years for 37 protected areas in the Appalachians that were established by a large land trust (TNC). These management costs varied greatly through both time and space. We explored what ecological and socioeconomic characteristics explain this variation. Management costs increased with site area but exhibited economies of scale. They were also greater for sites presenting a more rugged terrain and surrounded by a denser combination of roads and urban areas. Prescribed burns were strong drivers of expenditures in the years they occur, while acquisition costs were negatively correlated to subsequent expenditures on management. Land managers felt that protected areas that received less management effort were in worse condition and tended to spend more on areas with greater estimated species richness. Better accounting of how management costs vary in space and time can help conservation organizations allocate their limited resources effectively and to evaluate the likely long‐term cost implications of expanding protected area networks.