The Human Impacts Database

A collection of useful numbers for quantifying the impacts of the human presence on Earth.


Quantity Value HuID Source Type
Land area requirement for pork production 5 ± 2 m2 / yr / Mcal 75575 Eshel, G., Shepon, A., Makov, …
Harvest yield of cereals ≈ 0.4 kg / m2 76189 FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) …
Global deforested and disrupted forest area 21 × 1010 m2 / yr 78576 Curtis, P. G., Slay, C. …
Global cumulative sediment mass produced via agricultural erosion (2.7 ± 0.9) × 1012 kg 84302 Wang, Z., Van Oost, K.
Land use for farmed salmon production ≈ 3700 - 6000 m2 / t 86413 Gephart, J.A., et al.
Fraction of coastal regions under low human pressure ≈ 15.5 % 87267 Williams, B. A., Watson, J. …
Harvest yield of maize ≈ 0.6 kg / m2 87721 FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) …
Global net short vegetation area change - 2.6 ± 4.0 × 1010 m2 / yr 89587 Song, Hansen, Stehman, Potapov, Tyukavina, …
Global annual disrupted forest area due to wildfire (7.2 ± 1.3) × 1010 m2 / yr 92221 Curtis, P. G., Slay, C. …
Global commodity-driven deforestation area (5.7 ± 1.1) × 1010 m2 / yr 96098 Curtis, P. G., Slay, C. …
Global net forest area change 6.6 ± 3.5 × 1010 m2 / yr 96847 Song, Hansen, Stehman, Potapov, Tyukavina, …
Land use for farmed shrimp production ≈ 12,000 - 14,000 m2 / t 98963 Gephart, J.A., et al.