title: A global map of roadless areas and their conservation status.
abstract: Roads fragment landscapes and trigger human colonization and degradation of ecosystems, to the detriment of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. The planet's remaining large and ecologically important tracts of roadless areas sustain key refugia for biodiversity and provide globally relevant ecosystem services. Applying a 1-kilometer buffer to all roads, we present a global map of roadless areas and an assessment of their status, quality, and extent of coverage by protected areas. About 80% of Earth's terrestrial surface remains roadless, but this area is fragmented into ~600,000 patches, more than half of which are <1 square kilometer and only 7% of which are larger than 100 square kilometers. Global protection of ecologically valuable roadless areas is inadequate. International recognition and protection of roadless areas is urgently needed to halt their continued loss.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Alfred-Moeller-Straße 1, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany.|Society for Conservation Biology-Europe Section, 1133 15th Street Northwest, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005, USA.
authors.forename: Pierre L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Ibisch
authors.affiliation: Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Alfred-Moeller-Straße 1, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany.
authors.forename: Monika T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Alfred-Moeller-Straße 1, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany.|Society for Conservation Biology-Europe Section, 1133 15th Street Northwest, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005, USA.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kreft
authors.affiliation: Society for Conservation Biology-Europe Section, 1133 15th Street Northwest, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005, USA.|Department of Conservation Biology,UFZ-Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.|German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pe'er
authors.affiliation: Society for Conservation Biology-Europe Section, 1133 15th Street Northwest, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005, USA.|Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, Seferi 2, 30100 Agrinio, Greece.
authors.forename: Vassiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kati
authors.affiliation: Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Alfred-Moeller-Straße 1, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany.|Department for Ecology and Natural Resources Management, Center of Development Research, University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Straße 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Biber-Freudenberger
authors.affiliation: Geos Institute, 84 4th Street, Ashland, OR 97520, USA.|Society for Conservation Biology-North America Section, 1133 15th Street Northwest, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005, USA.
authors.forename: Dominick A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: DellaSala
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Av. Brg. Trompowski s/n, 21044-020 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.|Society for Conservation Biology-Latin America and Caribbean Section, 1133 15th Street Northwest, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005, USA.
authors.forename: Mariana M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Vale
authors.affiliation: Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Alfred-Moeller-Straße 1, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany.|Society for Conservation Biology-Europe Section, 1133 15th Street Northwest, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005, USA.|Writtle College, Lordship Road, Writtle, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 3RR, 01245 42420, UK.
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Hobson
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Selva
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D062305:Geographic Mapping