Earth's biodiversity drops below 'safe limit'

Biodiversity has dropped below the "safe limit" across 58 per cent of the Earth's surface, according to the most comprehensive analysis of global data to date.

The international study, published today in the journal Science, suggests that the degree of lost biodiversity across more than half the world's surface is substantial enough to question the ability of many ecosystems to support human societies.

"We've found that across most of the world, biodiversity loss is no longer within the safe limit suggested by ecologists," said lead researcher Dr Tim Newbold of University College London.

"We know biodiversity loss affects ecosystem function but how it does this is not entirely clear.

"What we do know is that in many parts of the world we are approaching a situation where human intervention might be needed to sustain ecosystem function."

Other environmental experts said the research was impressive in its scope. But they said it is too soon to say we are on the verge of an ecological disaster and more work is needed at a local level.

Read the Melbourne Age story - “Global map reveals 'unsafe levels' of biodiversity across 58pc of Earth's surface.”