A new study supported by One Earth and published in Nature Communications sheds light on a critical environmental issue: the balance between human well-being and biodiversity conservation. The research, conducted by an international team of researchers, reveals that conserving approximately half of the global land area is essential to maintain the majority of nature’s contributions to humans while also meeting biodiversity targets for numerous species.
The study’s alarming finding is that only 18% of the land area, deemed crucial for both human well-being and biodiversity, is currently protected. This statistic underscores a significant gap in conservation efforts, emphasizing the need for urgent action to safeguard these vital areas. Rachel Neugarten, the study’s lead author from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, emphasizes the importance of considering nature’s contributions to people (NCP). These include ecosystem services such as carbon storage, crop pollination, flood mitigation, and coastal protection. The study argues that biodiversity protection, climate change, and sustainable development are interconnected issues that cannot be addressed in isolation.
The researchers discovered that about 44-49% of the global land area, excluding Antarctica, is critical for providing nearly all (90%) of current levels of nature’s services to people while conserving biodiversity for 27,000 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. However, 37% of these lands are also highly suitable for human development activities like agriculture and urban expansion, leading to potential conflicts. The study points out that a significant portion of land with high conservation value is also under intense development pressure. This raises concerns about potential conflicts between achieving renewable energy goals and conserving nature. Creative solutions are needed to accommodate human activities through sustainable use and multifunctional landscape planning.
