Patrick Burns

Abstract Vegetation vertical structure refers to the 3D distribution of vegetation aboveground biomass. Vegetation vertical structure of tropical forests influences other ecological and environmental variables that are essential for the functioning of the ecosystems.

Abstract Nations recently agreed to set aside 30% of the planet by 2030 as conservation areas (the “30 × 30” goal) necessitating major expansions, not just of traditional protected areas like national parks, but also of ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECMs) – areas that provide de facto benefits to biodiversity despite conservation not being the primary management objective. But evidence for whether OECMs achieve positive biodiversity outcomes remains critically needed.

replying to: J. Geldmann et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08512-8 (2025). In the accompanying Comment, Geldmann et al.1 incorrectly claim that protected area (PA) efficacy cannot be established without biodiversity data that predates establishment of the PA.