Human infrastructures such as roads can have a negative influence on the variety of plants over hundreds of kilometers. About 20 percent of all species can be found in strongly influenced regions and 35 percent in areas with little human activity.
This is the result of an international study for which a research team has collected data in 119 world regions. In total, nearly 5,000 locations were investigated, in Austria, the Wienerwald, which contributed to the biodiversity researcher Franz ESSL of the University of Vienna. There you can see that strong human use in agriculture leads to an impoverishment in the remaining habitats of the plants. This is probably also valid for the rest of Austria.
The research team compared all plant species that could possibly be native to an area because of the geographical nature, the prevailing climate and other characteristics – with those that actually grow there. It turned out that a large part of the species can hardly get a foothold when people are intensely economic, travel, build and lives. Moreover, the influence of human activities can be detected far in areas with an actual small footprint.
The surrounding region must remain unaffected
“Correspondence, deforestation, waste, trampling of plants and fires caused by people can move plants of their habitats and prevent resettlement,” said researcher Essl. It was shown that the negative influence of people in an area was lower if at least one third of the surrounding area remains unaffected. This is a strong argument for protecting 30 percent of the land surface, ESSL said. The recovery of natural corridors can also contribute.
Source: Krone
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