Six lbs per person
For humanity, wild mammals are an inspiration, and they often serve as icons encouraging nature conservation efforts. To better understand human impact on the environment, scientists in Milo’s lab are currently analyzing how mammalian biomass has changed over the past century. “I find it important to understand, for example, when exactly the combined weight of domesticated mammals surpassed that of wild ones,” says Greenspoon. “A better understanding of the human-induced changes can help set conservation goals and afford us perspective on long-term global processes.”
“The more we’re exposed to nature’s full splendor, be it through films, museums or eco-tourism, the more we might be tempted to imagine that nature is an endless and inexhaustible resource. In reality, the weight of all remaining wild land mammals is less than 10 percent of humanity’s combined weight, which amounts to only about 6 lbs of wild land mammal per person,” says Milo. “In other words, our research shows, in quantifiable terms, the magnitude of our influence and how our decisions and choices in the coming years will determine what’s left of nature for future generations.”