Land free of direct anthropogenic disturbance is considered essential for achieving biodiversity conservation outcomes but is rapidly eroding. In response, many nations are increasing their protected area (PA) estates, but little consideration is given to the context of the surrounding landscape. This is despite the fact that structural connectivity between PAs is critical in a changing climate and mandated by international conservation targets. Using a high-resolution assessment of human pressure, we show that while ~40% of the terrestrial planet is intact, only 9.7% of Earth’s terrestrial protected network can be considered structurally connected. On average, 11% of each country or territory’s PA estate can be considered connected.
via @manammichelle
Ward, M., Saura, S., Williams, B. et al. Just ten percent of the global terrestrial protected area network is structurally connected via intact land. Nat Commun 11, 4563 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18457-x
Lire dans le Guardian : 'Shocking': wilderness the size of Mexico lost worldwide in just 13 years, study finds https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/19/shocking-wilderness-the-size-of-mexico-lost-worldwide-in-just-13-years-study-finds?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco