The expansion of farmland poses a significant threat to terrestrial biodiversity worldwide, and the situation may worsen due to the impact of climate change, according to a recent study.
Over the next four decades, a high-emissions scenario predicts that rising temperatures will render more than 1 million square miles of wilderness – equivalent to 7 percent of the remaining non-Antarctic wilderness on Earth – suitable for agriculture. This potential farmland is mainly located in northern regions such as Canada, Scandinavia, and Russia.
The study raises concerns that as other regions become unsuitable for farming, northern wilderness areas could be converted into farmland. Without adequate protection, these ecologically valuable regions could face irreversible damage.
The paper was published in the journal Current Biology, and it reveals that climate change will limit crop diversity on 72 percent of currently cultivated land worldwide. Alexandra Gardner, the lead author and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Exeter, emphasizes the need for more efficient land use, considering the growing global population and the shrinking availability of suitable farmland.
“We can sustain a larger population with our existing farmland,” Gardner explains. “However, we must improve cropping efficiency, cultivate crops suitable for local conditions, reduce meat consumption, and minimize food waste.”
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