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Are wild mammals only 4% of the mammal population?

We examine a major study that says humans and livestock now dominate mammal life on Earth

A widely respected and cited study says humans and livestock account for 96% of all mammals on Earth. We ask how the study was carried out and what hope there might be for the future. Plus we answer another listener question about whether most mammals are in fact rodents. With the help of Dr Hannah Ritchie, Deputy Editor at Our World in Data and Dr Axel Rossberg, Reader in Theoretical Ecology at Queen Mary University of London.

Presenter: Charlotte McDonald
Producer: Jon Bithrey
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar

(a short-beaked Echidna native to Australia. Credit: DeAgostini/Getty Images)

Available now

9 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Sat 28 Jan 2023 05:50GMT
  • Sat 28 Jan 2023 22:50GMT
  • Sun 29 Jan 2023 00:50GMT
  • Sun 29 Jan 2023 14:50GMT
  • Sun 29 Jan 2023 22:50GMT
  • Mon 30 Jan 2023 00:50GMT
  • Mon 30 Jan 2023 10:50GMT

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