Emerging research on human‐modified ecosystems can better inform land‐use planning by integrating information from ecological and social science. In particular, low‐density land use beyond the urban fringe (exurban) has been poorly defined and under‐studied. Here I develop the human modification framework that characterizes landscapes by the degree to which natural processes are free or controlled and landscape patterns are natural or artificial. Ecologists are encouraged to explicitly place their researchwithin such a framework using quantitative metrics. As society's concern over ecological degradation and loss of biodiversity grows, ecologists must recognize that research on human‐modified landscapes, particularly beyond the urban fringe, is not just an unexploited opportunity, but is critical to protecting biodiversity on private land.