Changing the earth: Bad or Good?

A new study reveals that there is virtually no land left untouched by man and humans have been altering the natural world for much longer than we thought. While that may sound grim, it's not all bad news.

In a study published Monday, researchers argue that not only have humans been changing nature for as long as they’ve existed, but it wasn’t always harmful. In most instances, ancient civilizations created innovative and sustainable ways to manage soils and landscapes. According to the researchers, the reshaping of species distributions has been key in the creation of landscapes that can support increasingly dense populations throughout time.

“These findings suggest that we need to move away from a conservation paradigm of protecting the earth from change to a design paradigm of positively and proactively shaping the types of changes that are taking place,” lead author Nicole Boivin told The Post. “The reality is that there are 7 billion people living on an already heavily altered planet. It is a pipe dream to think that we can go back to some sort of pristine past.”

The authors of the study say that our planet is undergoing its sixth ‘mass extinction event,’ which has been made evident by changing landscapes, the break up of natural habitats, overexploitation of land and species invasions caused by humans.

https://weather.com/science/environment/news/pristine-nature-humans-global-biodiversity-landscape-ecosystems-earth