The disappearing West: Natural area the size of a football field is being lost every TWO MINUTES to human development
- Center for American Progress surveyed land loss in 11 western states
- Found natural area the size of Los Angeles is disappearing each year
- Urban sprawl is the main culprit, accounting for more than half of losses
- But energy, transport and agriculture and logging all made major impacts
From the wide open plains of Arizona to the breathtaking forests in California, when most people think of the West they imagine a great open space largely untouched by human activity.
But that pristine country is being eroded at an alarming rate, with an area of natural land the size of a football field lost every two and a half minutes between 2001 and 2011.
According to a new report from the Center for American Progress, an area the size of LA was paved over each year, with urban sprawl being the main culprit.
Between 2001 and 2011 natural land equivalent to the size of Los Angeles was lost every year according to a new survey, with California, Colorado and Washington among the worst hit
By far the largest amount of natural land was lost to urban sprawl, particularly around cities such as Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles (file image)
More than half of the 165,000 square miles of land given over to human development in that decade was taken by new housing or commercial development, with energy and minerals coming in second, transport third, and agriculture and timber in fourth.
Perhaps unsurprisingly California lost the most land in total, with 785 miles lost over the decade, with the areas around San Francisco and Los Angeles being the worst hit thanks to population growth.
Across the West areas close to large cities were among the worst hit, with Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Seattle and Portland all registering significant losses of natural habitat.
In more rural areas, such as south east Washington and northern Montana, agriculture and logging saw the biggest losses in natural land.
Las Vegas was one of the areas that saw the most urban sprawl over the last decade, illustrated in these satellite images from 2002 (left) up to 2011 (right)
Pheonix, Arizona, is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country, and these images from 2003 (left) and 2011 (right) show how land has been eaten up
In Wyoming the largest change was in the energy sector, with towns such as Pinedale seeing a significant increase in natural gas production, and land give over to drilling industries.
While transport did not use up as much land as housing overall, researchers warn that new roads and rail lines are breaking up natural habitats, causing problems for the animals that live there.
In 2011, the last year data was collected for the study, the average distance between human development was just three and a half miles.
For animals such as bears or wolves which require large areas in which to roam or hunt prey, this poses a significant threat to their survival.
The study's authors also warn that there is a complacency about development in the west, as the legacy of conservationists such as Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir lead people to believe that most of the land in these areas is protected.
Agriculture and logging accounted for a large amount of natural land being lost in more rural areas, particularly in central California, south east Washington and northern Montana
While transport did not account for the most land lost overall, campaigners warned it is especially damaging because it carves up natural habitats, affecting animals that need space to roam
In fact, the survey found that just 12 per cent of the land across the westernmost 11 states is protected, while oil and gas drilling is permitted on almost 90 per cent of it.
California tops the table for the amount of protected land with almost a quarter of the state being actively preserved, while Montana and New Mexico came bottom of the list with seven and six per cent respectively.
Matt Lee-Ashley, a senior fellow and the director of public lands at CAP, said: 'I think overall this is a reminder that natural area loss in the West is still a problem.
'Notwithstanding the work of folks like Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir and others, there is a race to save some of the last places in the West.'
California and Colorado lost the most land overall, but compared to overall size, states such as Wyoming, Utah and Oregon topped the list
Many people think of the West as well-preserved with Natural Parks, but the study found that just 12 per cent of land is being actively conserved, while oil and gas companies can drill on almost 90 per cent
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