13th August 2024
How to define a natural environment
Is it an environment untouched by human influence? This is typically referred to as a pristine environment. Are there any such places on earth?
On the one hand, given the way that, for example, the effects of climate change are universally felt across the earth, or the presence of micro plastics which are now to be found in the depths of the ocean, on mountain peaks, in icecaps, and even in the blood of living creatures, the answer would be no. If in the other hand we mean free from the physical presence of humans and their impact, then yes – a few.
And it is that second approach that allows many researchers to agree with “a definition of pristine that includes habitats free from obvious signs of human activity. Those places should also contain plant and animal species that experts would expect to be there in the absence of hunting, logging, habitat loss, invasive species and other human-driven threats.”
And yes in parts of north eastern South America, in parts of Indonesia, in parts of the Congo, in parts of the polar regions, there are still some pristine environments.
(1) https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160208-theres-no-such-thing-as-truly-pristine-nature-anymore
The Green Tau 