Protected areas (PAs) are established as a way to prevent ecosystem damage, but a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE finds that this may not be working very well in many areas. According to the research, forests occupied one-third of the world's total land area in the year 2000. Of this, 19 percent was under some form of protection, and 25 percent was intact. However, the world’s PAs have lost 3 percent of their forest cover in just over a decade. By comparison, they pegged the total loss of the world’s forests – both protected and non – at 5 percent. The largest losses occurred in Australia, Oceania, and North America, which all exceeded 5 percent. However, positive results were found in Latin America where losses were 1 percent in Pas compared to the 5 percent outside them.