science for all: 64% of carnivores' homes facing high human pressure
The authors of the study, an international team from institutes around the world, downloaded the latest range maps for every living carnivore from the IUCN Red List and retained 257 strictly terrestrial species for their analysis. Then, they combined each range map with the 2018 Human Footprint layer, a grid of 1 sq. km cells that scored eight kinds of human activity, from population density to railways, on a 0 to 50 scale. Scores of 4 or higher marked land that had been heavily altered by human activities.
They overlaid three global datasets on this grid: Protected Areas listed by the IUCN, Indigenous peoples' lands managed by native communities, and wilderness areas (large tracts with almost no human pressure).
When they analysed these composite maps, they found that 64% of all carnivore habitats worldwide are currently in high‑pressure hotspots. The pattern was the same for species already on the IUCN threatened list and those still considered stable.
They also found Indigenous peoples' lands shelter 26% of global carnivore range, wilderness areas 16%, and Protect Areas 10% — and together they cover about 35% of carnivore habitat, meaning most carnivore territory lies outside areas set aside for nature.
More specifically, most canids, felids, mongooses, and mustelids each had far less than 40% of their ranges in any protected category. Unsurprisingly, already shrinking animal populations had the biggest share of their habitats in high‑pressure zones, confirming human activity is a major driver of their decline. Statistical tests also indicated carnivores generally occupy larger, unprotected areas outside conservation lands.
'[W]e found that the overlap between Protected Areas and wilderness areas is minimal in the Indo-Malay region, covering only 0.2% of the area, while the highest overlap occurs in the Neotropic region at 7%,' the team wrote in its paper.
Taken together, the study showed that most carnivores live where people are changing the landscape fastest, and formal reserves alone are not large or connected enough to keep these predators safe. While Indigenous territories are critical havens, they also face growing pressures.
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