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Social Sciences › Social Sciences › Geography, Planning and Development
People have shaped most of terrestrial nature for at least 12,000 years
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Conflicts of Interest
Identified Weaknesses
Rating Explanation
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Paper Summary
Paperzilla title
Humans Have Been Messing with Nature for 12,000 Years (and it's not all bad)
The study finds that human societies have shaped nearly three-quarters of Earth's land for at least 12,000 years, challenging the notion of pristine wilderness. The current biodiversity crisis is primarily driven by appropriation and intensification of land use in already inhabited areas rather than the conversion of untouched ecosystems, suggesting that incorporating Indigenous and local community stewardship is essential for effective conservation.
Possible Conflicts of Interest
None identified
Identified Weaknesses
Reliance on HYDE 3.2 Model
The study relies on the HYDE 3.2 model, which has known limitations in representing early human populations and land use, particularly underestimations of early agricultural land use and the omission of pre-agricultural land use.
Spatial Resolution
The spatial resolution of the analysis, while improved over previous studies, still averages ~96 km² per cell, which may obscure finer-scale variations in land use and biodiversity.
Correlational Analysis
The study's focus on correlational analysis limits the ability to establish causal relationships between historical land use and contemporary biodiversity patterns.
Limited Regional Analysis
While the study acknowledges regional variations, it primarily focuses on global trends, which may mask important local dynamics.
Rating Explanation
This study provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of the long-term human impact on terrestrial nature. The use of updated global datasets and improved spatial analysis techniques strengthens the results. While the study acknowledges some limitations of the data and methodology, the overall findings are compelling and contribute significantly to the ongoing debate about the Anthropocene and conservation strategies.
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File Information
Original Title:
People have shaped most of terrestrial nature for at least 12,000 years
File Name:
e2023483118.full.pdf
[download]
File Size:
2.68 MB
Uploaded:
July 14, 2025 at 05:19 PM
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