A protected area mosaic, or conservation mosaic is a collection of environmentally protected areas that are treated as a whole, either formally or informally.
The protected areas may be of different types, including strictly protected areas and sustainable use areas, which may be administered at different public levels or privately.
They may include areas assigned to indigenous people.
A mosaic may be more flexible and effective than an attempt to combine all the areas into a single conservation unit under one agency.
In practice, results with mosaics in different countries have been mixed.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado, US
BR-319. A protected area mosaic has been defined in an effort to reduce deforestation when the road is paved.
Protected area mosaic (Brazil)
A protected area mosaic or conservation unit mosaic in Brazil is a mosaic of nearby, adjoining or overlapping protected areas of Brazil that are managed as a whole.
Rio Doce State Park in the Rio Doce Estuary Mosaic