Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity

Grantham, H. S.; Duncan, A.; Evans, T. D.; Jones, K. R.; Beyer, H. L.; Schuster, R.; Walston, J.; Ray, J. C.; Robinson, J. G.; Callow, M.; Clements, T.; Costa, H. M.; DeGemmis, A.; Elsen, P. R.; Ervin, J.; Franco, P.; Goldman, E.; Goetz, S.; Hansen, A.; Hofsvang, E.; Jantz, P.; Jupiter, S.; Kang, A.; Langhammer, P.; Laurance, W. F.; Lieberman, S.; Linkie, M.; Malhi, Y.; Maxwell, S.; Mendez, M.; Mittermeier, R.; Murray, N. J.; Possingham, H.; Radachowsky, J.; Saatchi, S.; Samper, C.; Silverman, J.; Shapiro, A.; Strassburg, B.; Stevens, T.; Stokes, E.; Taylor, R.; Tear, T.; Tizard, R.; Venter, O.; Visconti, P.; Wang, S.; Watson, J. E. M.

Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity

H. S. Grantham (), A. Duncan, T. D. Evans, K. R. Jones, H. L. Beyer, R. Schuster, J. Walston, J. C. Ray, J. G. Robinson, M. Callow, T. Clements, H. M. Costa, A. DeGemmis, P. R. Elsen, J. Ervin, P. Franco, E. Goldman, S. Goetz, A. Hansen, E. Hofsvang, P. Jantz, S. Jupiter, A. Kang, P. Langhammer, W. F. Laurance, S. Lieberman, M. Linkie, Y. Malhi, S. Maxwell, M. Mendez, R. Mittermeier, N. J. Murray, H. Possingham, J. Radachowsky, S. Saatchi, C. Samper, J. Silverman, A. Shapiro, B. Strassburg, T. Stevens, E. Stokes, R. Taylor, T. Tear, R. Tizard, O. Venter, P. Visconti, S. Wang and J. E. M. Watson
Additional contact information
H. S. Grantham: Global Conservation Program
A. Duncan: Global Conservation Program
T. D. Evans: Global Conservation Program
K. R. Jones: Global Conservation Program
H. L. Beyer: University of Queensland
R. Schuster: Carleton University
J. Walston: Global Conservation Program
J. C. Ray: Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
J. G. Robinson: Global Conservation Program
M. Callow: Global Conservation Program
T. Clements: Global Conservation Program
H. M. Costa: Global Conservation Program
A. DeGemmis: Global Conservation Program
P. R. Elsen: Global Conservation Program
J. Ervin: One United Nations Plaza
P. Franco: Global Conservation Program
E. Goldman: World Resources Institute
S. Goetz: Northern Arizona University
A. Hansen: Montana State University
E. Hofsvang: Rainforest Foundation Norway
P. Jantz: Northern Arizona University
S. Jupiter: Global Conservation Program
A. Kang: Global Conservation Program
P. Langhammer: Global Wildlife Conservation
W. F. Laurance: College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University
S. Lieberman: Global Conservation Program
M. Linkie: Global Conservation Program
Y. Malhi: University of Oxford
S. Maxwell: University of Queensland
M. Mendez: Global Conservation Program
R. Mittermeier: Global Wildlife Conservation
N. J. Murray: College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University
H. Possingham: University of Queensland
J. Radachowsky: Global Conservation Program
S. Saatchi: California Institute of Technology
C. Samper: Global Conservation Program
J. Silverman: Global Conservation Program
A. Shapiro: World Wide Fund for Nature Germany, Space+Science
B. Strassburg: International Institute of Sustainability
T. Stevens: Global Conservation Program
E. Stokes: Global Conservation Program
R. Taylor: World Resources Institute
T. Tear: Global Conservation Program
R. Tizard: Global Conservation Program
O. Venter: University of Northern British Columbia
P. Visconti: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
S. Wang: Global Conservation Program
J. E. M. Watson: Global Conservation Program

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Many global environmental agendas, including halting biodiversity loss, reversing land degradation, and limiting climate change, depend upon retaining forests with high ecological integrity, yet the scale and degree of forest modification remain poorly quantified and mapped. By integrating data on observed and inferred human pressures and an index of lost connectivity, we generate a globally consistent, continuous index of forest condition as determined by the degree of anthropogenic modification. Globally, only 17.4 million km2 of forest (40.5%) has high landscape-level integrity (mostly found in Canada, Russia, the Amazon, Central Africa, and New Guinea) and only 27% of this area is found in nationally designated protected areas. Of the forest inside protected areas, only 56% has high landscape-level integrity. Ambitious policies that prioritize the retention of forest integrity, especially in the most intact areas, are now urgently needed alongside current efforts aimed at halting deforestation and restoring the integrity of forests globally.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3

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