An international study led by University of Queenslandscientists has found that only 13 per cent of the ocean can still be classified as wilderness.

Researchers from UQ’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and international collaborators identified marine areas devoid of intense human impacts by analysing 19 stressors including commercial shipping, sediment runoff and several types of fishing.

PhD candidate Kendall Jones said most of the remaining marine wilderness was unprotected, leaving it vulnerable to being lost.

“Marine areas that can be considered pristine are becoming increasingly rare as fishing and shipping fleets expand their reach across almost all of the world’s oceans, and sediment runoff smothers many coastal areas,” Mr Jones said.

“Improvements in shipping technology mean that even the most remote wilderness areas…