Welcome to Antropocene and the anthropogenic Biomes

While most ecologists classify the biomes (nature types or ecosystems) of the world largely as if they were not touched by humans, the truth is that humans now influence most parts of the world, even to the extent that some scientists speak about the Antropocene as a geological era; that we actually change both the geology and climate. Ellis and Ramankutty (2008) identify eighteen anthropogenic biomes and only three biomes that could be considered ”wildlands”, most of them barren, permafrost or sparsely forested. The wildlands represents around 22 percent of the terrestrial land, but only 11 percent of the net primary production (the photosynthesis) because they are cold or dry, or both. All other nature type have been so heavily influenced by humans that they can be called man-made landscapes. Of course, even in those landscapes there are patches of land that is less influenced and even in a field, there are weeds and wild life, but they are all there under conditions created by us; ”human systems with natural ecosystems embedded within then”. It is assessed that we control at least one third of the all terrestrial primary production (i.e. the biological production emerging from the photosynthesis). Rangelands are with this classification the most common landscapes, covering nearly one third of the ice-free lands. Due to arid conditions, the primary production is low, only 15 % of the worlds total and only 5% of the population lives in those landscapes (Ellis and Ramankutty 2008). The value of marginal land is changing. In the past livestock occupied vast territories because there was no possible – or profitable alternative use. It might actually be better to have wild animals roam those plains – as they did long before we tamed our animal companions.

Area, population and primary production of the world

	Area (%)	Net Primary Production (%)	Population (billion)
Dense settlements	1.11%	1.4%	2.57
Villages	5.9%	7.7%	2.56
Croplands	20.8%	32%	0.93
Rangelands	30.4%	15.5%	0.28
Forests	19.4%	32.8%	0.04
Wildlands	22.5%	10.7%	0

Source: adapted from Ellis and Ramankutty 2008.