MORE than two-fifths of Earth’s land surface is still wilderness, according to an unprecedented global survey published this week. This means it could be relatively cheap to preserve much of the world’s pristine wild habitats.
The report’s authors found that 44 per cent of Earth’s surface is little affected by human habitation, including great swathes of Siberia, Africa, North and South America and Antarctica. Although some of these vast areas support relatively few species, they could be a conservation bargain, since such sparsely populated land can be bought up and protected cheaply.
Even more attractive, the scientists say, are the…
