Science magazine has published a new study which suggests that world nature has been almost completely domesticated, Bushcraft UK reports.

The study, conducted by scientists at The Nature Conservancy, Santa Clara University, and Harvard University, examines specific cases where humankind's alterations — originally intended to increase food production, reduce risk, and enhance global commerce — have ultimately caused negative, unanticipated impacts on human well-being and natural systems.

“The world is at a tipping point whereby the alterations of landscapes and oceans are causing a net decline in human well-being around the world,” said Peter Kareiva, chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy and lead author of the report. “The effects of domesticating nature can be seen everywhere, from noticeable problems like pollution to less apparent issues such as devastated coastal zones and deadly algae blooms caused by excessive nutrient run-off into watersheds and river basins.”

In the report, researchers noted that throughout history, humans have successfully grazed and cultivated crops, suppressed wildfires, developed coastlines to protect against storm surges, hunted wild species and harvested oceans.  These efforts have no doubt enhanced the well-being and quality of life for millions, and the success of global economies can be largely attributed to such alterations of our natural world. 

Yet researchers also found that the inadvertent consequences of these adaptations have been appearing with increased frequency in recent decades, and many of these unforeseen effects are negative. For example, the report notes that more than half of the world’s forests have been destroyed as a result of land conversion, and today’s experts estimate that deforestation accounts for nearly 25 percent of all carbon emissions worldwide.