22/03/2019
The future of the environment may be in the hands of the few.
Or more specifically, in the hands of 5 countries. An Australian survey (conducted by researchers at the University of Queensland and the Society for Wildlife Conservation) estimates that 70 percent of the planet’s fully intact ecosystems are found in the United States, Canada, Russia, Australia and Brazil.
Currently, more than 77% of the Earth’s surface and 87% of the oceans have been altered by human interference, and there are very few tools to prevent this from being the same fate of ecosystems still virgin.
Only a century ago, only 15% of the earth’s surface had been used for farming, and this is one of the major causes of human modification on Earth. Other practices that alter the planet drastically include: mining, agriculture, industrial fishing and widespread pollution.
The article, published in the journal Nature, argues that the remaining intact areas need to be preserved because they contain an abundance of species completely naturally.
In addition, these natural ecosystems can reduce the impact of natural disasters and overwhelming climatic events.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/geral-47490417