While it was thought that 19 percent of the world was not changed by human activities before, as a result of extensive research, it was determined that only 5 percent of the world was not touched by human hands.
According to a recently released comprehensive map, the impact of humans on Earth is much greater than previously thought. The map, published in the journal Global Change Biology, aims to guide us on what kind of conservation plan we should follow for the world in the coming years.
The created map revealed that as humanity we do not touch only 5 percent of the Earth’s surface. This ratio was thought to be 19 percent previously. High-resolution data obtained from ground studies and remotely sensed images were used to evaluate 13 human-induced impacts in terrestrial areas, biomes and ecological zones on earth.
Our impact is most common in the tropics
As a result of the research, it was noted that 52 percent of the ecoregions and 49 percent of the countries have been partially replaced by human influence. Another result of the study is that the least altered biomes are located at higher latitudes and consist of tundra, sub-polar forests, taiga forests, needle foliage forests. Among the biomes with the greatest human impact are tropical regions such as broadleaf and mixed forests.
One of the authors of the published research, Joe Kiesecker, said: “Environmental protection organizations agree that protecting untouched areas on earth should be our priority. However, our results show that only a tiny fraction of the Earth özgü not been altered by human activities. The vast majority of the earth is progressively impacted towards an irreversible point. ”
On the other hand, there are environmental conservation organizations that focus on protecting wildlife areas. For example, the famous biologist EO Wilson argues that 50 percent of the world should be designated as a natural protected area. Speaking to Alison Synder of Axios in 2017, Wilson said that expanding such natural sanctuaries is vital to saving endangered animals. “We’ve saved only a fifth of animal species from extinction,” Wilson said. Despite our best efforts around the world, four-fifths of species are on the way to extinction. ” had included his statements.
Source: https://www.dunyahalleri.com/dunyamizin-s just-yuzde-5ine-el-degmedi/