title: Has land use pushed terrestrial biodiversity beyond the planetary boundary? A global assessment.
abstract: Land use and related pressures have reduced local terrestrial biodiversity, but it is unclear how the magnitude of change relates to the recently proposed planetary boundary ("safe limit"). We estimate that land use and related pressures have already reduced local biodiversity intactness--the average proportion of natural biodiversity remaining in local ecosystems--beyond its recently proposed planetary boundary across 58.1% of the world's land surface, where 71.4% of the human population live. Biodiversity intactness within most biomes (especially grassland biomes), most biodiversity hotspots, and even some wilderness areas is inferred to be beyond the boundary. Such widespread transgression of safe limits suggests that biodiversity loss, if unchecked, will undermine efforts toward long-term sustainable development.
authors.affiliation: United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK. Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. t.newbold@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Newbold
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
authors.forename: Lawrence N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.affiliation: United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Arnell
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Contu
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK. Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, London SL5 7PY, UK.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Palma
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Land and Water Flagship, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferrier
authors.affiliation: United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK. Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
authors.forename: Samantha L L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Land and Water Flagship, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hoskins
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, London SL5 7PY, UK.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lysenko
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK. Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, London SL5 7PY, UK.
authors.forename: Helen R P
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
authors.forename: Victoria J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
authors.forename: Charlotte W T
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chng
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Emerson
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
authors.forename: Gwilym
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pask-Hale
authors.affiliation: United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK. Luc Hoffmann Institute, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) International, 1196 Gland, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hutton
authors.affiliation: Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
authors.forename: Katia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Ortiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK. Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, London SL5 7PY, UK.
authors.forename: Benno I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Whitmee
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
authors.forename: Hanbin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK. School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK.
authors.forename: Jörn P W
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Scharlemann
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK. Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, London SL5 7PY, UK.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Purvis
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D065948:Grassland; D006801:Humans; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011312:Pressure