Planetary boundaries defines key thresholds in the Earth System’s ecological conditions that precede local or global ecosystem collapse and threaten human well-being. This observational study and literature review aggregate what is known regarding the quantity and quality of terrestrial ecosystems – particularly old-growth and primary forests – necessary to sustain the biosphere. The study seeks to answer the question: what extent of landscapes, bioregions, continents, and the global Earth System must remain as connected and intact core ecological areas and agroecological buffers to sustain local ecosystem services as well as the biosphere commons?

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