In April 2025, a group of scientists published a new global dataset that shows how much humans have altered land around the world from 1990 to 2022, taking into account activities like farming, roads, cities, mining, and energy development. It finds that less than half of Earth’s land now remains mostly untouched, while many areas have seen growing human impact over the past 30 years, often in places that are rich in wildlife. By clearly showing where and how land has changed, the dataset helps guide conservation strategies and underscores the importance of our efforts.
In the map above, we’ve zoomed in to the Columbia River region where we work to specifically show how land has changed over the past 30+ years.
In case you’re interested in learning more, here’s a link to the research: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-025-04892-2
