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The Delicate Balance
Understanding the balance between human impact and wilderness preservation
The balance between wilderness and human use of land has been a topic of debate for decades. The question of how much land is used by humans and how much remains as wilderness is crucial to understanding the extent of human impact on the environment.
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), only 23% of the Earth’s land surface is considered “wilderness.” This means that the remaining 77% is used by humans for various purposes. Urban areas make up around 3% of the Earth’s land surface, but this is projected to increase to around 3.8% by 2050. Croplands and pastures are also significant areas of land occupied by humans, with around 12% of the Earth’s land surface used for crop cultivation and around 27% used for grazing.
Another way to measure the amount of land not used by humans is to look at the percentage of land that is protected. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that around 17% of the Earth’s land surface is protected, either as national parks, nature reserves, or other types of protected areas. This means that around 38% of…
