Threats to biodiversity

Illustration: Charlotte Ager/The Guardian Clearing the US prairies: ‘On a par with tropical deforestation’ “It’s hidden destruction. We’re still losing grasslands in the US at a rate of half a million acres a year or more.” Tyler Lark, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, knows what he is talking about. Lark and a team of researchers used satellite data to map the expansion and abandonment of land across the US and discovered that 4m hectares (10m acres) had been destroyed between 2008 and 2016. Large swathes of the United States’ great prairies continue to be converted into cropland, according to the research, to make way for soya bean, corn and wheat farming. Changes in land and sea use has been identified as the main driver of “unprecedented” biodiversity and ecosystem change over the past 50 years. ​​ North America’s grasslands – often referred to as prairies – are a case in point. In the US, about “Our findings demonstrate a pervasive pattern of encroachment into areas that are increasingly marginal for production but highly significant for wildlife,” Lark and his team Boggier areas of land, or those with uneven terrain, were traditionally left as grassland, but in the past few decades, this marginal land has also been converted. In the US, 88% of cropland expansion takes place on grassland, and much of this is happening in the Great Plains – known as According to the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity there are 1.For terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, l...

HEADLINE INDICATOR Nitrogen deposition The ability of agriculture to produce far greater quantities of food and fibre than ever before can be attributed to a number of factors, including the availability of fertilizers on a commercial scale. However, excessive levels of the plant nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus in natural Estimated total reactive nitrogen deposition from the atmosphere Anthropogenic sources of nitrogen—from the manufacturing of synthetic fertilizer, fossil fuel combustion and by nitrogen-fixing crops and trees in agroecosystems—now exceed natural terrestrial sources, such that more than half of all reactive nitrogen in Figure 2.16). To continue to meet global demand for food and fibre and minimize environmental problems, significant improvements are required in the efficiency with which nitrogen fertilizer is utilized within production systems. A 20% increase in nitrogen-use efficiency in the world’s cereal production systems would reduce the global production of reactive nitrogen by approximately 6% and lead to reduced expenditure for fertilizers equivalent to a value of about US$ 5 billion annually. Global Biodiversity Outlook 2 (2006), Chapter 2: The 2010 Biodiversity Target: Establishing current trends, p.34 HEADLINE INDICATOR Trends in th century, invasive alien species have contributed to nearly 40% of all animal extinctions for which the cause is known. In the Fynbos biome of South Africa, 80% of the threatened species are endangered because of in...

“ Extinction is the most irreversible and tragic of all environmental calamities. With each plant and animal species that disappears, a precious part of creation is callously erased.” -Michael Soulé, noted American conservation biologist It is estimated that the current rate of species extinction is between 1,000 and 100,000 times more rapid than the average rate during the last several billion years. The growth of human populations, consumption levels, and mobility is the root of most of the serious threats to biodiversity today. While learning about the negative impacts of humans on biodiversity, please keep a few things in mind. First, it is rare that humans intend to make a species go extinct or to threaten biodiversity in some other way. Usually, those impacts are the unfortunate by-products of people trying to provide a decent living for themselves or to serve some other purpose. Second, in the last 30 years or so, efforts to protect and preserve biodiversity have expanded exponentially. We will explore those efforts later in the module. As you learn about the current threats to biodiversity, resist the temptation to conclude that humans are simply foolish or short-sighted or greedy, and instead consider the larger pressures and systems that lead toward biodiversity loss. H.I.P.P.O. There are many threats to biodiversity today. The biggest ones can be remembered by using the acronym H.I.P.P.O.: Habitat Loss, Invasive Species, Pollution, Human Population, and Overharv...

We are reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn affiliate commission. Biodiversity is essential for any ecosystem, and it means the diversity of life. It ensures the natural sustainability of life on earth for both the current population and future generations. An area with good biodiversity will involve different life forms and species, including plants, animals, insects, fungi and other organisms. They all link together to form ecosystems to support life and maintain a balance. The increasing population of humans has put an immense amount of pressure on the planet. Having more people leads to the need for more resources, like water, land and food, which can ultimately upset the balance of an ecosystem and cause a loss of biodiversity. Wildlife populations around the globe Below are the major threats to biodiversity. Hopefully, this will help you understand why humans 1. Habitat Loss and Degradation Biodiversity is threatened when there is significant habitat loss or degradation. This happens when an area that was once used as a habitat is no longer inhabited by nature. Things like deforestation, mining, agriculture and industrial activities often remove crucial habitat space for wildlife and plants. However, natural events could also cause habitat degradation. This would include events such as hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and forest fires. 2. Invasive Species Another reason for the loss of biodiversity is 3. Pollution Whether the pollution ...

Supporters of the law say that improved biodiversity will improve food production, including by boosting the number of pollinators such as bees. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock Supporters of the law say that improved biodiversity will improve food production, including by boosting the number of pollinators such as bees. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock EU plans to restore biodiversity on land and sea are hanging in the balance after the European parliament’s biggest political group called for the proposals to be torn up and rewritten. On the eve of a vote on the nature restoration law (NRL) package, the chairman of the centre-right European People’s party (EPP) said the vote was “50-50” with potential for others to join their opposition ranks on Thursday. On Wednesday evening the chair of the environment committee, Pascal Canfin, “Our food security depends on protecting nature from collapsing. Yet, the right and the far right are joining forces against the nature restoration law that we’re voting on Thursday. My answers to their fake news,” The proposals are aimed at protecting all endangered ecosystems ranging from rivers and seas to peat . The UN environment chief Inger Andersen urged MEPs to show leadership for future generations ahead of the vote and deliver on the promises the union made at Cop15 just 6 months ago. She condemned those that had turned EPP chairman Manfred Weber said his group of MPs supported goals on climate chan...

There is an alarming number of threats to biodiversity. But life on Earth relies on biodiversity to thrive. Right now, it is in peril due to climate change and human activity. It’s not only exotic and rare species like lions and elephants that will face challenges in the years ahead. Threats to biodiversity are a central theme in conservation efforts and a significant effect of climate change. Biodiversity encompasses the full range of life in a particular area or ecosystem. It includes all less visible—but equally important—life, like microbes such as bacteria and fungi. These comprise a significant portion of the planet’s biodiversity and play essential roles in processes we take for granted, like decomposition and nutrient cycling, which are vital in Biodiversity is essential to the delicate balance of ecosystems necessary to maintain life on Earth. However, despite its importance, the world is witnessing a massive decrease in biodiversity. Many species face extinction due to climate change and human activities like habitat destruction, Keep reading to learn about the biggest threats to biodiversity and what you can do to fight them. What Is Biodiversity? Biodiversity is essential for humanity's livelihood and prosperity. (Foto: CC0 / Pixabay / Mylene2401) Biodiversity refers to the wide web of interconnected, interdependent life in the natural world. It includes the assortment of species, genetic diversity within species and the different ecosystems they make up. It is...

Threats to Biodiversity The core threat to biodiversity on the planet, and therefore a threat to human welfare, is the combination of human population growth and resource exploitation. The human population requires resources to survive and grow, and those resources are being removed unsustainably from the environment. The three greatest proximate threats to biodiversity are habitat loss, overharvesting, and the introduction of exotic species. The first two of these are a direct result of human population growth and resource use. The third results from increased mobility and trade. A fourth major cause of extinction, anthropogenic climate change, is predicted to become significant during this century. Global climate change is also a consequence of the human population’s need for energy and the use of fossil fuels to meet those needs ( Figure 1: Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels fluctuate in a cyclical manner. However, the burning of fossil fuels in recent history has caused a dramatic increase in the levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere, which have now reached levels never before seen in human history. Scientists predict that the addition of this “greenhouse gas” to the atmosphere is resulting in climate change that will significantly impact biodiversity in the coming century. (credit: “Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels” by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY 4.0) Habitat Loss Habitat loss is a major threat to biodiversity. Remove the entire habitat within the ra...

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following: • Identify significant threats to biodiversity • Explain the effects of habitat loss, the introduction of exotic species, and hunting on biodiversity • Identify the early and predicted effects of climate change on biodiversity The core threat to biodiversity on the planet, and therefore a threat to human welfare, is the combination of human population growth and resource exploitation. The human population requires resources to survive and grow, and those resources are being removed unsustainably from the environment. The three greatest proximate threats to biodiversity are habitat loss, overharvesting, and the introduction of exotic species. The first two of these are a direct result of human population growth and resource use. The third results from increased mobility and trade. A fourth major cause of extinction, anthropogenic climate change, has not yet had a large impact, but it is predicted to become significant during this century. Global climate change is also a consequence of human population needs for energy and the use of fossil fuels to meet those needs (Figure 1). Environmental issues, such as toxic pollution, have specific targeted effects on species, but they are not generally seen as threats at the magnitude of the others. Figure 1: Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels fluctuate in a cyclical manner. However, the burning of fossil fuels in recent history has caused a dramatic increase in the leve...

We are in an unprecedented crisis of biodiversity in human history. All evidence suggests that the current rates of extinctions vastly exceed the estimated background extinction rate. The major difference with the previous mass extinctions is that humans are simultaneously responsible for it, threatened by it, and able to stop it. More than 900 species across all taxa have been documented to go extinct since 1500, with probably as many as 400 bird species alone in prehistoric times Many individual researchers and agencies such as the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have recently ranked these global-threat categories in terms of their estimated contribution to biodiversity loss. For instance, biological invasions are deemed the primary cause of global species’ extinctions for birds, mammals, reptiles, freshwater fish, plants, arthropods, and gastropods, especially on islands IPBES, WWF, and IUCN established global rankings of the five threats responsible for the current biodiversity crisis (B: central, yellow panel). However, the relative importance of each threat depends on the taxon, system, species’ characteristics, time, and/or the metric considered, resulting in divergences. Global biodiversity threats are represented by colors and symbols, given in the top panel. This figure encapsulates results combined from different s...