Scientists at the University of Queensland (Australia) have come to the conclusion that places on Earth where wildlife has been preserved are rapidly disappearing. This was announced in a press release on Phys.org.
About a century ago, only 15 percent of the Earth's surface was used by humans to grow crops and livestock, according to researchers. Human activities currently affect 77 percent of the landmass, including Antarctica, and 87 percent of the world's oceans. Between 1993 and 2009, human settlements, agricultural land and industrial enterprises occupied 3.3 million square kilometers of undeveloped land.
However, the polar regions remain the most unaffected by shipping, pollution and fishing in the ocean. The remaining natural ecosystems can only be preserved if countries recognize their importance and make joint efforts to protect them. Today, many protected areas of the world are not officially defined, not mapped or protected at the legislative level.