Only 3% of all land on earth is ecologically intact


 




A recent study has concluded that out of all the land on earth only 3% is ecologically intact. Our ecosystems are vitally important not only to the species that occupy them, but also to human life as well. Without these systems, we would be non-existant in very short order.

So how do we measure this sustainability? Well, there are three key metrics for this study.

* Habitat intactness which measures the impact humans have made on a system.

* Faunal intactness or the number of species lost from the system.

* Functional intactness which measures if there are enough species of animals to play their role in the system.

“We only find about 2 to 3 per cent of the Earth[’s land] is where you could be considered as having the same fauna and flora that you had 500 years ago, in pre-industrial times, before major human impacts had occurred,” says Andrew Plumptre, head of the Key Biodiversity Areas Secretariat and an employee at BirdLife International in the UK.

While this is troubling news, actions could be taken to reverse this effect. Reintroducing between 1 to 5 species in areas that aren't completely degraded could bring those numbers up to as much as 20%. While this method requires a lot of time, cooperation, resources, and money, it can be (and has been) done.

To find out more please click the link below for the whole article.

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