A new global study warns that biosphere integrity loss is accelerating with 60% of Earth’s land already beyond safe limits and 38% in high risk zones. Human activities such as farming deforestation and energy use are destabilizing ecosystems that regulate carbon water and soil. Researchers say urgent action is needed to protect natural processes that keep the planet stable. Without change biosphere integrity loss could trigger irreversible climate and biodiversity crises.
Earth under pressure
Human activity has steadily pushed natural systems beyond their limits. From farming and deforestation to energy production the demand on plants and soil has grown for centuries. These pressures are now threatening the ability of ecosystems to maintain balance and provide the conditions that support life.
Functional biosphere integrity
Scientists describe biosphere integrity as the plant world’s ability to co regulate the Earth system. Plants capture energy through photosynthesis which drives cycles of carbon water and nitrogen. When this process is disrupted agriculture forests and rivers all become vulnerable. Losing biosphere integrity means losing the foundation of stable ecosystems.
Study findings
The research was led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research with BOKU University in Vienna and published in One Earth. It mapped biosphere changes from 1600 to the present and revealed that safe boundaries were crossed as early as 1900. By 1990 the global average had already entered the high risk zone.
Measuring the strain
Scientists used two main methods to track change. The first is HANPP which measures how much plant energy humans remove or reduce through farming forestry and land use. The second is EcoRisk which looks at how much ecosystems are disturbed including changes to carbon nitrogen and water cycles. Both methods show growing imbalance and rising risk for global ecosystems.
Global hotspots
The study found that Europe Asia and North America face the most severe disruptions. Centuries of land use change in these regions have weakened ecosystem stability. Fertilizer use deforestation and industrial farming accelerated the risks especially during the twentieth century.
Rising human demand
Lead author Fabian Stenzel explained that human demand for biomass keeps rising. Societies depend on the biosphere for food raw materials and even strategies to slow climate change such as bioenergy with carbon capture. This growing demand makes it critical to understand and limit the strain being placed on ecosystems.
Early warning signs
Scientists observed that southern regions with high biodiversity are also facing mounting risks. Forests wetlands and farmlands are losing their resilience. If these thresholds continue to be crossed nature may no longer be able to stabilize the planet as it has for thousands of years.
Why it matters
Biosphere integrity loss is now recognized as one of the core planetary boundaries along with biodiversity loss and climate change. Crossing this boundary means entering unsafe conditions for humanity. Stable ecosystems are not only a buffer against climate extremes but also the foundation of agriculture clean water and breathable air.
The path forward
Researchers argue that tracking biosphere health by region and over time will help identify overloads before they cause irreversible harm. Protecting ecosystems must become a central part of climate action. Every step toward restoring forests reducing land pressure and managing water cycles helps move Earth back toward a safer operating zone.
Call for urgent global action
Scientists are calling for immediate and coordinated efforts to address biosphere integrity loss. They warn that protecting ecosystems cannot be treated as an optional part of climate action but must sit at the center of global strategies. Stronger conservation policies, restoration of degraded lands, and a shift toward sustainable farming and energy practices are seen as vital steps. Without urgent intervention the balance of Earth’s natural systems could be pushed beyond repair leaving future generations to face harsher environmental and social crises.
