World's wilderness reduced by a tenth since 1990s
A tenth of the world's wilderness has vanished in the past two decades, research shows. New maps show "alarming losses" of pristine landscapes, particularly in South America and Africa, according to World Conservation Society scientists.
About 20% of the world's land area is classed as wilderness. By this, scientists mean landscapes free of large-scale human disturbances such as housing, development and industry.
The majority of these untouched spaces are found in North America, north Asia, north Africa and Australia. They are often home to indigenous peoples as well as endangered plants and animals.
The findings are based on a current map of wilderness areas around the globe compared with one produced in the same way in the early 1990s. The maps show that an estimated 3.3 million sq km (almost 10%) of wilderness area has been lost in that time.
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