|
|
NATIONAL CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS
/
/
/
/
| Environmental Group Finds Abundant Wilderness |
|
|
Conservation International, an environmental group, has
found that wilderness areas cover nearly half of the Earth's land surface
-- and are inhabited by only a small part of the planet's human population.
More than 200 scientists participated in the group's global analysis.
Here are a few of their findings:
- Thirty-seven wilderness areas on 46 percent of the Earth's land are occupied by 2.4 percent of the world's population.
- These low-density areas represent a land mass equivalent
to the six largest countries on Earth combined -- Russia, Canada, China,
the United States, Brazil and Australia -- but have within them the population
of only three large cities.
- Wilderness was defined as areas of approximately 4,000 square miles with 70 percent or more of original vegetation intact.
- Five wilderness areas contain at least 1,500 plant species
restricted to those areas and found nowhere else in the world: Amazonia,
the Congo forests of Central Africa, New Guinea, the North American deserts,
and the Miombo-Mopane Woodlands and Grasslands in Southern Africa.
Republicans in the West welcomed the research and said they
were surprised an international environmental group agreed with them on the
abundance of wilderness left on the planet, saying it debunks the claims
of extremist environmentalists that the sky is falling when it comes to protecting
our environment.
Source: Audrey Hudson, "Study Says Nearly Half of Earth's Land Surface Still Wild," Washington Times, December 6, 2002.
For more on Global Issues
http://www.ncpa.org/pi/enviro/envdex10.html
|
12770 Coit Rd., Suite 800 - Dallas, TX 75251-1339 - 972/386-6272 - Fax 972/386-0924
601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 900 South Building - Washington, DC 20004 - 202/220-3082 - Fax 202/220-3096
Copyright © 2002 National Center for Policy Analysis - All rights reserved.
|
|
