Smaller households 'threaten wildlife'

More homes are needed for the same number of people

By Tim Hirsch BBC environment correspondent

New research shows that smaller households around the world pose a major threat to the environment.

Scientists in the United States have found a rise in the number of homes - due to changes such as an increase in divorce and the decline of the extended family - is putting pressure on plant and animal species.

Extra demand for wood in China threatens pandas

The study reported in the journal Nature looked at more than 60 countries where natural habitats are facing pressure from human development - so-called biodiversity hotspots.

It found that the biggest threat came not from an increase in population, but in the number of homes now needed to house the same number of people.

It cites the example of the mountain forests of China, where smaller households and the extra demand for fuel wood contributed to the decline of the giant panda.

Living alone

Even in countries such as Greece and Spain, where population is falling, nature is threatened by sprawling towns as more people get divorced and younger people no longer share a home with their parents.

The study estimates that in the next 15 years, these social changes will add more than 200 million extra homes in the most vulnerable countries, and the researchers say this poses a major conservation challenge.