World Without Humans

Researchers have provided the first estimate of how the mammal diversity world map would look like if modern man had never existed. Then most of northern Europe would probably now be home to not only wolves, Eurasian elk and bears, but also animals such as elephants and rhinoceroses.

Researches have based their estimates on the distribution of each species according to its ecology, bio-geography and the current natural environmental template. "Northern Europe is far from the only place in which humans have reduced the diversity of mammals", said Jens-Christian Svenning, from the Department if Bioscience, Aarhus University in Denmark. The current world map of mammal diversity shows that Africa is the only place with a high diversity of large mammals.

However, the world map shows far greater distribution of high large-mammal diversity across most of the world,with particularly high levels in North and South America.

"Most safaris today take place in Africa, but under natural circumstances, as many or even more large animals would no doubt have existed in other places such as Texas and region around northern Argentina-Southern Brazil", said lead author Soren Faurby.

World Without Us