A thornier topic is how we view our relationship with wildlife: as part of a combined ecosystem where we all coexist, or separate systems where we have our ‘zones’ and other species have theirs. Human communities have always lived alongside animals. Rural and indigenous populations still do, with many playing an active role in conservation efforts.43 Indigenous lands occupy over a quarter of the world’s land surface, and overlap with around 40% of all terrestrial protected areas and ecologically intact landscapes today.44 Expanding our protected areas from 16% to 50% will increase that even
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