To avoid a mass extinction, protect 1% of the Earth

Most species are rare, meaning they are few in number or cover a small area, or both. As a result, a new study concludes, humans can preserve much of the great diversity of life on Earth, reserving just 1.2% of the planet for protection.

For the study, experts mapped the nature still available for rare and threatened plants and animals. They then identified hotspots for rare wildlife that have not yet been protected. In total, they found 16,825 such sites, which together cover an area smaller than Wisconsin.

Experts then estimated the cost of protecting these sites, which amounted to 263 billion dollars, less than the annual revenue of bark oil. O discoveries were published in Frontiers in Science.

The Earth has seen five mass extinctionsand many experts believe that by burning fossil fuels and destroying nature, humans are now driving a sixth mass extinction. To help avoid the crisis, countries set a goal to protect 30 percent of land and sea, but there is much debate about which areas deserve the most protection.

Some scientists have warned that by focusing too much on the size of protected land, authorities may fail to safeguard areas that are especially rich in wildlife. The authors of the new study call for prioritizing hotspots for rare species, arguing that this would be enough to avoid a sixth extinction.

“What will we bequeath to future generations? A healthy, vibrant Earth is critical for us to convey,” lead author Eric Dinerstein, an analyst at the environmental nonprofit organization Solve, said in a statement. “Then we have to go. We have to avoid the extinction crisis.”

ALSO ON YALE E360

The 30% target: is bigger always better for biodiversity?