Researchers and conservationists propose a targeted global conservation strategy, focusing on preserving just 1.2% of Earth’s surface to prevent the sixth mass extinction by protecting rare and threatened species. This approach, costing an estimated $34 billion annually over five years, involves conserving biodiversity hotspots and is deemed a cost-effective measure compared to other global expenditures.
The scientists started by mapping the entire world, using six layers of global biodiversity data. By combining these layers of data with maps of existing protected areas and a fractional land cover analysis, using satellite images to identify the remaining habitat available to rare and threatened species, the scientists were able to identify the most critical, currently unprotected areas of biodiversity.
“These sites are home to over 4,700 threatened species in some of the world’s most biodiverse yet threatened ecosystems,” said Andy Lee of Resolve, a coauthor. “These include not only mammals and birds that rely on large intact habitats, like the tamaraw in the Philippines and the Celebes crested macaque in Sulawesi Indonesia, but also range-restricted amphibians and rare plant species.
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