Briana Abrahms, UW Biology Assistant Professor, was recently featured in UW News for a collaborative study by scientists at the University of Michigan, the University of Washington, and University College London, on the overlap between humans and animals.

The study, published Aug. 21 in Science Advances, states that the overlap between humans and animals will increase substantially across much of the planet in less than 50 years due to human population growth and climate change. 

By 2070, the overlap between humans and more than 22,000 vertebrate species will rise across nearly 57% of Earth’s land, according to the team.

“This gives us an early warning of where we may expect to see future increases in habitat degradation, human-wildlife conflict or biodiversity loss,” said co-author Briana Abrahms, a UW assistant professor of biology in the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels. “We especially need to pay attention to forested areas, which is where we project much of the increase in human-wildlife overlap to occur.”

In contrast, less than 12% of land globally will see a decrease in habitat sharing between people and other animals.

Understanding where the overlap is likely to occur — and which animals are likely to interact with humans in specific areas — will help urban planners, conservationists and countries meet their international conservation commitments.

Read the full story in UW News.