1. An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm
- Author
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Jonathan E. M. Baillie, Alexandra Tyukavina, Paulo van Breugel, Nadia de Souza, Reed F. Noss, Jonathan Timberlake, Suzanne Palminteri, David E. Olson, José Carlos Brito, Charles Victor Barber, Peter Potapov, Annette Patzelt, Vance Martin, Shahina A. Ghazanfar, Anup R. Joshi, Matthew C. Hansen, Neil Burgess, Wes Sechrest, Tanya Birch, Cyril F. Kormos, Don Weeden, Harvey Locke, Lars Graudal, Eric Wikramanayake, K. F. Al-Shammari, Jens-Peter Barnekow Lillesø, Rebecca Moore, David Thau, Crystal Davis, Randy Hayes, Erle C. Ellis, Lilian Pintea, Yara Shennan-Farpon, Nigel Sizer, Othman Llewellyn, Kieran Suckling, Heinz Klöser, Muhammad Saleem, Nathan Hahn, Benjamin Jones, Eric Dinerstein, Roeland Kindt, Lori Price, Eileen Crist, A. G. Miller, Svetlana Turubanova, Maianna Voge, Prashant Hedao, and Carly Vynne
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Extinction ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Forum ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Biosphere ,Nature Needs Half ,Livelihood ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Indigenous ,Aichi target 11 ,global biodiversity conservation strategies ,Ecoregion ,Geography ,Habitat ,Environmental protection ,Realm ,protected areas ,ecoregions ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,Empowerment ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,media_common - Abstract
We assess progress toward the protection of 50% of the terrestrial biosphere to address the species-extinction crisis and conserve a global ecological heritage for future generations. Using a map of Earth's 846 terrestrial ecoregions, we show that 98 ecoregions (12%) exceed Half Protected; 313 ecoregions (37%) fall short of Half Protected but have sufficient unaltered habitat remaining to reach the target; and 207 ecoregions (24%) are in peril, where an average of only 4% of natural habitat remains. We propose a Global Deal for Nature—a companion to the Paris Climate Deal—to promote increased habitat protection and restoration, national- and ecoregion-scale conservation strategies, and the empowerment of indigenous peoples to protect their sovereign lands. The goal of such an accord would be to protect half the terrestrial realm by 2050 to halt the extinction crisis while sustaining human livelihoods.
- Published
- 2017