1One third of the world's protected areas are threatened by human activity
26. 08. 2019
One third of the world's protected areas, including national parks, are endangered by human activity. According to studies by an international team of scientists, according to which sites protected by law are often threatened by agriculture, development or road construction. The worst situation is in densely populated areas of Asia, Africa and Europe, according to a study published by Science magazine.
Scary area of endangered protected areas
The total area of protected areas threatened by humans is, according to the study, almost six million square kilometers, which is more than the area of all EU countries combined.
Professor James Watson of the American Society for Nature Conservation (WCS) states:
"Governments claim that nature is protected in these places, which is not really the case. This is the main reason for the fact that biodiversity is still catastrophically declining, despite the fact that protected areas have been increasing in recent decades. "
According to a study, the area of protected areas has approximately doubled since 1992, but this cannot be said about the effectiveness of their protection. Scientists have long claimed that the decreasing number of animal and plant species is one of the major problems of the planet and is largely caused by human activity.
According to the study, bottlenecks are particularly problematic in areas where densely populated areas are affected, which often do not have the status of the most strictly protected national parks. According to a study, some governments have allowed highways to pass through protected areas, farm land or flat housing development.
Scientists examined the state of total 50.000 territories with varying degrees of protection. While, according to the study, one-third of these areas are considered to be seriously endangered by human activity, research on 90 percentages of protected sites has found evidence of human activity in any way harmful to nature. And what about the state of our planet?
Do you remember the good old days when we had "12 flight to save the planet"?
As of 12 years, it is now increasingly argued that the next 18 months will be decisive. Last year it was stated that in order to maintain temperature growth below 1,5 ° C, carbon dioxide emissions would have to be reduced by 2030% by 45. But now scientists agree that the next 18 months will be decisive.
"I firmly believe that the next 18 months will determine our ability to sustain climate change and survive nature." he said Prince Charles of Great Britainwho recently spoke at a meeting of Foreign Ministers in the Commonwealth.
Given that countries usually draw up their plans for 5 - 10 years, such a plan must be prepared to reduce emissions by the end of 2020. The Earth is now heading towards a temperature rise of 3 ° C by 2100, which is alarming information.
What are the upcoming government steps?
1) Climate Change Summit convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to be held in New York on 23. September. Mr Guterres is clear that he wants countries to join the UN only if they can make proposals to reduce carbon emissions.
2) This will be followed by COP25 in Santiago, Chile, where the sustainability of emissions and environmental protection will be further discussed.
3) However, a really big moment is likely to be in the UK at the COP26 conference at the end of the year, 2020. The UK Government believes that it can seize the opportunity of COP26 in the post Brexit world to demonstrate that Britain can contribute to progress and use its scientific knowledge. It is important to set an example to other countries.
