Humanity's footprint is squashing the world's wildlife
The planet's wildlife is increasingly living under the boot of humankind, a new study claims. A group of researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), University of Queensland and elsewhere used a comprehensive dataset on the "human footprint," which calculates the accumulated impact of human activities on the land's surface, to discover that a staggering 20,529 terrestrial vertebrate species are facing intense pressure from humanity. Read more here.
‘Intense’ human pressure is widespread among terrestrial vertebrates, study finds
A new study assessing the cumulative impacts of human activities on wildlife found that the vast majority of terrestrial species are facing “intense” pressure due to humanity’s footprint across the globe. Read more here.
Quarter of the world's oceans need urgent action to preserve wildlife
More than a quarter of the world's oceans need "effective conservation" to stave off a rapid decline in biodiversity from over-fishing and provide protection from the effects of climate change. A University of Queensland-led team of researchers said 26 to 41 per cent of the oceans needed some protection to overcome human-led threats "as a bare minimum", according to a paper published on Saturday in One Earth. Read more here.
An alternative to biodiversity offsets: Target-based ecological compensation
A short animated video explaining the concept of target-based ecological compensation.