How much of greenery is lost and how much land area needs conservation now? The loss is abound and a new finding says that 44 percent of Earth’s land area (about 64 million square kilometers (24.7 million square miles) requires conservation to safeguard biodiversity.
The team led by Dr James R. Allan from the University of Amsterdam, used advanced geospatial algorithms to map the optimal areas for conserving terrestrial species and ecosystems across the world. They further used spatially explicit land use scenarios to quantify how much of this land is at risk from human activities by 2030.
Pointing out that the world should act fast, Allan said, the study was the current best estimate of how much land must be conserved to stop the biodiversity crisis. The study is essentially a conservation plan for the planet, the researchers said. “Our models show that over 16 million square kms of land- an area larger than South Africa – is likely to have its habitat cleared for human uses by 2030, which would be devastating for wildlife,” Allan said.
SIGNIFICANCE
The study has much significance with governments currently negotiating a post-2020 global biodiversity framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity, with new goals and targets for biodiversity which will hopefully come into effect later this year. This will get the conservation agenda for at least the next decade, and governments will have to report progress against these targets on a regular basis.
“More than a decade ago, governments set a global target to conserve at least 17 per cent of terrestrial areas through protected areas and other site-based approaches for improving the status of biodiversity and ecosystems,” explains co-author Dr Kendall Jones, Conservation Planning Specialist at the Wildlife Conservation Society. “However, by 2020 it was clear that this was not enough for halting biodiversity declines and averting the biodiversity crisis.”
A high-profile target being now discussed for 2030 is that nations should conserve 30% of their land through protected areas and other site-based approaches. Jones said that the study suggested more ambitious goals and policies to maintain ecological integrity beyond this 30% target are crucial. If nations are serious about safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services that underpin life on Earth, then they need immediately to scale-up their conservation efforts, not only in extent and intensity but also in effectiveness, he added.
The study highlights that all the identified land should not necessarily be designated as protected areas, but rather managed through a wide range of strategies for species and ecosystem conservation, including other effective area-based conservation measures, and effective sustainable land-use policies when appropriate.
