Most drylands worldwide unprotected from human activities, endangering biodiversity: study

Jerusalem, July 24 (IANS) An Israeli study has found that most of the world’s drylands, which cover nearly half of the Earth’s land surface, are unprotected from human land-use conversion, threatening biodiversity in these areas, including extinction dangers, Ben Gurion University (BGU) said in a statement on Wednesday.

The primary human pressures on these areas include agriculture, timber and plant harvesting, alternative energy sources, overgrazing, invasive species and disease, infrastructure development, and climate change, said the statement.

The study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, disclosed that despite these challenges, only 12 per cent of drylands are encompassed by protected areas under all