Just five countries hold 70% of the world’s remaining untouched wilderness areas and urgent international action is needed to protect them, according to new research.  Some of these places are in Mongolia in the northernmost and western parts of Khuvsgul Province as well as in easternmost part of the Gobi Desert; these remarkable places have not been touched by humans.

Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have for the first time produced a global map that sets out which countries hold these tiny gems of virgin nature that has been untouched by heavy industrial activity.

It comes ahead of the conference of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Egypt later in November where the signatory nations are working towards a plan for the protection of biodiversity beyond 2020.