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Washington – A new map developed by a group of researchers revealed that only 13% of the world's ocean water remains in pristine condition, without suffering any human impact, according to a study published in the specialized journal Current biology .
These remaining virgin areas are distributed "unequally" and are found mainly in the Pacific Island, Antarctic, or Pacific Island regions scientists said. from the University of Queensland Australia.
Only 13% of the world's oceans are spared by industrial fishing, shipping and pollution. Most in the Arctic and Antarctic. Very little habitat free of intense human pressure remains in coral reef relationships @JendallKones et al in @CurrentBiology
https://t.co/7tDrsVCPyv pic.twitter.com/VMPGapFpaB– Matthew Holden (@MattHHolden) July 27, 2018
"We were surprised at the little traces of nature Marine The ocean is huge and covers more than 70% of our planet, but we have managed to significantly affect almost all this vast ecosystem, " pointed out the main author, Kendall Jones ].
The researchers pointed out that virgin pristine areas "possess massive levels of biodiversity and endemic species" and are "some of the last places on the Earth where large populations of superhuman predators still exist. "
In the new analysis, Jones and his colleagues used the world's most comprehensive data available for 19 human factors, including commercial shipments, fertilizer and sediment flows, and various types of ocean and marine fisheries. their cumulative impact.
To capture differences in human influence by oceanic regions, researchers repeated their analysis in each of the 16 that exist.
They found a "big variation" in the degree of human impact. For example, more than 10 million square miles remain intact in the Indian Ocean region, accounting for 8.6% of the ocean.
On the other hand, in the southern temperate zone In Africa, there are only less than 1,200 square miles of marine waters without human footprint, ie less than 1% of this region .
The study also shows that less than 5% of marine virgin areas are currently "
" This means that the vast majority of marine wilderness areas could be lost at any time, as technological improvements allow you to fish deeper and send boats further than ever, "said Jones
. The findings, according to the authors, underscore an "urgent need for action" to protect what remains of the marine desert which "requires an effort of international environmental agreements to recognize the unique value of wildlife marine. "
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