Nature Needs Half™ - Where are we now?
The UN reports that only about 12% of the planet’s terrestrial area is currently protected (though it is also true that many existing protected areas lack sufficient funding to be adequately managed) . But this statistic does not include Antarctica (10% of the planet’s land) which is very wild, nor does it include large areas under indigenous conservation management, and many privately protected areas. As a result, the current percentage of the earth under formal protection is likely significantly higher than 12% though the amount protected is clearly less than is necessary.
The good news is that the amount of the planet protected is not the same as the amount that is still largely intact, which is substantially greater. A 2003 study by Conservation International indicated that 39-44% of the planet remained mostly wild, with very low human population densities. The challenge is to formally protect these areas and to restore others.
