Just 3% of world’s ecosystems remain intact, study suggests

Pristine areas in the Amazon and Siberia may expand with animal reintroductions, scientists say

Just 3% of the world's land remains ecologically intact with healthy populations of all its original animals and undisturbed habitat, a study suggests.

These fragments of wilderness undamaged by human activities are mainly in parts of the Amazon and Congo tropical forests, east Siberian and northern Canadian forests and tundra, and the Sahara. Invasive alien species including cats, foxes, rabbits, goats and camels have had a major impact on native species in Australia, with the study finding no intact areas left.