Save Earth by Protecting Half the Planet…

Save Earth :

The recent California fires, Siberia wildfires, bushfires in Australia, and the Amazon forest fires, have reminded us that are in the wake of the wrath of the emerging climate change.

Our planet is now facing two interconnected crises: Climate change and a surging loss of biodiversity. Both of these crises worsened by the unchecked human activity and exploitation of natural resources in the name of development and advancement.

These natural lands otherwise would have been the Eden for species to flourish and trap and store the atmosphere-warming carbon to stabilize the changing climate.

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Save Earth by Protecting the Earth

A new study to save earth suggests that the countries around the world can join hands to avert the climate crises and save biodiversity by conserving roughly fifty percent of the total landmass from human interference. The scientists call this area – “Global Safety Net.”

According to research published in Science Advances, about 50% percent of the planet’s terrestrial mass is extremely needed to be protected to avert the two crises.

Image credit: ScienceAdvances/ScienceMag.Org

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The Director of Wild Tech and the Biodiversity and Wildlife Solutions program at Resolve, Dr. Eric Dinerstein with his colleagues started surveying and mapping out the present protected areas that cover only about fifteen percent of the landmass.

To save earth from these crises, the research team prepared a new map by using the present biodiversity databases and sequentially adding pieces of required land to achieve diverse conservation goals.

The researchers have mapped an additional 2.3 percent of the land to conserve species that aren’t already protected and species that are most threatened by extinction.

They have also marked new zones that have the potential to preserve hot spots of exceptional species diversity. Vast swaths of pure wilderness are required for the wide range of wild species to thrive.

To save earth, Most of the terrestrial areas identified for biodiversity have the potential to lock lots and lots of carbon from the atmosphere which is the main cause for the rising temperatures.

The researchers have marked an extra 4.7 percent of land that includes forest regions in the northeastern United States. About 6.3 percent of the terrestrial mass is required for what is called as “rare phenomenon,” specific regions that are needed for large mammals like Jaguars, etc.

With this plan in action by providing a certain degree of protection for these lands we can reach various conservation and climate goals, the team argues.

Dr. Eric Dinerstein also said that countries should act much faster. At present, Governments are preparing plans to save earth by protecting only 30 percent of the planet by 2030.

“That’s not fast enough,” Dr. Eric says. “We have to achieve a whole lot more in a decade than what people are arguing for,” he added in a report.