How did humanity’s footprint change as population and the economy grew?

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Human pressures on the environment are changing across space and time, with profound implications for biodiversity and human economies. Researchers used recently available data on infrastructure, land cover and human access to natural areas to construct a globally standardized measure of the cumulative human footprint on the terrestrial environment, at a resolution of 1 km², from 1993 to 2009.

Over that period, the human footprint increased by 9%, while the human population increased by 23% and the world economy grew by 153%. Still, 75% of the planet’s land surface was experiencing measurable human pressures. These pressures were particularly intense, widespread and rapidly intensifying in places with high biodiversity.

The researchers found decreases in environmental pressures in the wealthiest countries and in countries with strong control of corruption. They concluded that although the human footprint on Earth is changing, opportunities for conservation gains remain.