Some causes and consequences of the loss of biodiversity. The paper focuses on raising awareness that biodiversity loss is a development challenge, hence we devote more space to setting out the evidence for this than. An example of loss of biodiversity as the result of the fragmentation is that of the western forest of ecuador, which were largely undisturbed till 1960, where newly constructed network of roads led to rapid human settlements and clearance of much of the forest area, have been fragmented into small patches of one to few square kilometers. The latter phenomenon can be temporary or permanent, depending on whether the environmental degradation that leads to the loss is reversible through ecological restoration ecological resilience or.
Climate changes impact on environment greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, absorb heat from sunlight, preventing it from escaping back into space. Biodiversity loss has an enormous impact on humans. Impacts of biodiversity loss on ocean ecosystem services boris worm,1 edward b. Ecosystem effects of biodiversity loss rival climate change. Nutrient enrichment, biodiversity loss, and consequent declines in ecosystem productivity forest isbella,1, peter b. Where we can improve upon our understanding of how biodiversity loss affects health, we can make clearer what is at stake for ourselves and all life when we lose species and ecosystems. Fast facts by 2025, half of the worlds population will be living in waterstressed areas. Anthropogenic impacts on tropical forest biodiversity. May 02, 2012 ann arborloss of biodiversity appears to impact ecosystems as much as climate change, pollution and other major forms of environmental stress, according to a new study from an international research team. Deforestation affects biodiversity in a number of ways. The main causes of the loss of biological diversity include habitat loss or degradation, pollution, alien invasive species, overharvesting of biodiversity resources, climate change, and.
Stachowicz,11 reg watson12 humandominated marine ecosystems are experiencing accelerating loss of. This process may be natural or unnatural, and may be caused by habitat fragmentation, geological processes, climate change, or human activities such as the. Threats to biodiversity food and agriculture organization of the. Study on understanding the causes of biodiversity loss and. Loss of consumers can also alter vegetation structure, fire frequency, and even disease epidemics in a range of ecosystems51. Interactive effects of climate change and biodiversity. The term biodiversity is a contraction of biological diversity, meaning the variety of life. We conclude that marine biodiversity loss is increasingly impairing the oceans capacity to provide food, maintain water quality. In contrast, the continuing loss of biodiversity on a. The reduction of biodiversity has an effect on the health of individuals. Biodiversity is complex and has many different levels of organisation, from. Biodiversity loss is the extinction of species plant or animal worldwide, and also the local reduction or loss of species in a certain habitat.
A unbacked report says a million species are at risk of extinction, and warns biodiversity loss and failure to conserve ecosystems has catastrophic effects on people as well as nature. This study evaluated these effects via international food trade, calculating estimates of species loss for 170 crops and 184 countries. Ecosystem effects of biodiversity loss rival climate. Pdf biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity researchgate. Biodiversity can be measured through the use of quantitativeindicators, although no single unified approach exists. Biodiversity underpins the health of the planet and has a direct impact on all our lives. The consequences are disastrous this can cause the pollination is what has made it possible for millions of years, to ensure the reproduction from the plant to flower.
The study is the first comprehensive effort to directly compare the impacts of biological diversity loss to the anticipated effects of a. The loss of biodiversity causes severe adverse effects on our whole environmental system, including humanity. Fragmentation can isolate populations, reduce gene pools and weaken species fitness or ability to survive and reproduce. The diversity of societies, cultures and languages that has developed throughout human history is intimately related to biodiversity and its use. The interactions between urbanization with biodiversity and ecosystem services that take place defy simple generalizations. Biodiversity loss is an early warning of a deterio. Loss of biological diversity national science foundation. Research to understand the impacts of the loss of genes and species on the normal function of ecosystems. They provide clean air, fresh water, medicines and food security. Dec 18, 2017 understanding how loss of biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning, and thus the delivery of ecosystem goods and services, has become increasingly necessary in a changing world.
Impacts of biodiversity loss on ocean ecosystem services. It is also very diverse, with different authors measuring fragmentation in dif ferent ways and, as a consequence, drawing different conclusions regarding both the magnitude and direction of its effects. Rates of species extinction are between one hundred to one thousand times greater than in prehuman history. Biodiversity, the diversity of life on earth, is essential to the healthy functioning of ecosystems. In this talk, biologist elizabeth hadly discusses human activities and their effects on biodiversity in the past, present, and future. Biodiversity loss and the use of pesticides 2 bird species decline owing to pesticides 5 risk to mammals of hazardous pesticides 8 impact on butterflies, bees and natural enemies 9. Steering committee, is currently in the process of developing british columbias biodiversity action plan. Nutrient enrichment, biodiversity loss, and consequent. The loss of biodiversity can be caused by natural phenomena, however, the biggest effects come from human intervention with nature. Ecosystem effects of biodiversity loss could rival impacts. The results show that the majority of biodiversity loss is due to growing crops for domestic consumption but. For example, fish stocks are dwindling, forest loss is resulting in the loss of many species, land and other resources are being misused, leading to various long terms costs.
Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is a term that refers to the number of genes, species, individual organisms within a given species, and biological communities within a defined geographic area, ranging from the smallest ecosystem to. The hidden biodiversity impacts of global crop production. Loss of biodiversity impacts human health world health. Effects of habitat loss on biodiversity habitat loss is a process of environmental change in which a natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. Causes, effects and control strategies sumit chakravarty 1, s. The threats to biodiversity can be summarized in the following main points. Furthermore, the increasing world human population, which has doubled between 1970 and now to more than 7 billion is the other edge of the. Understanding the causes of biodiversity loss and the policy assessment framework 5 6. For example, many communities have experienced more natural disasters, but because of the loss of mangroves and coral reefs, which are excellent natural buffers against floods and storms, coastal communities have increasingly suffered from severe floods. With the loss of biodiversity we have no access to these natural services. Why biodiversity loss hurts humans as much as climate change. Even today, human population growth is driving direct threats to biodiversity, such as. The study, published in nature, aims to directly compare the impacts of biological diversity loss, with those of other humancaused environmental changes including climate change. There is increasing evidence for the negative impacts of urbanization on biodiversity, most directly in the form of habitat loss and fragmentation.
Previous mass extinction events have been associated with asteroid impact. Introduction the conservation planning tools committee cptc, also known as the biodiversity b. Pesticides and the loss of biodiversity pan europe. But we are currently using 25% more natural resources than the planet can sustain as a result species, habitats and local communities are under pressure or direct threats for example from loss of access to fresh water.
Still to be determined is how diversity loss and other largescale environmental changes will interact to alter ecosystems. Further human actions, such as deforestation, deepocean fishing, overharvesting of plant and animal species, as well as war and conflicts, also contribute to biodiversity loss. Humans homo sapiens, their crops, and their food animals take up an increasing share of earths land area. This article throws light on the ten major causes for the loss of biodiversity, i. Climate change science program synthesis and assessment product 4.
For example, biodiversity effects might be negligible if nutrient enrichment increases productivity by altering physiological responses and reducing resource limitation much more than it decreases productivity by driving nonrandom biodiversity declines 19, 20, 24, 25. Case studies on forest ecosystems and biodiversity loss. Pdf biodiversity loss underlies the dilution effect of. Biodiversity loss impacts ecosystems as much as climate change. Consensus statement six functional traits of organisms have large impacts on the magnitude of ecosystemfunctions,whichgiverisetoawiderangeofplausibleimpacts of extinction on ecosystem function. Hobbiea, stephen polaskya,e, and seth bindera,e departments of aecology, evolution and behavior, bforest resources, and eapplied economics, university of minnesota twin cities, saint paul, mn 55108. Loss of biodiversity and extinctions global issues. The availability of biodiversity is often a safety net that increases food security and the adaptability of some local communities to external economic and ecological disturbances. The same factors can also drive habitat fragmentation. By securing the lifesustaining goods and services which biodiversity provides to us, the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity can provide significant benefits to our health.
Impacts of deforestation on the loss of biodiversity zambrut. Loss of biodiversity could impact ecosystems as much as climate change, pollution and other environmental stresses, according to new research. Biodiversity also underpins ecosystem function and the provision of ecosystem services. The strength of the observed biodiversity effects suggests that policymakers searching for solutions to other pressing environmental problems should be aware of potential adverse effects on biodiversity as well.
Biodiversity provides various goods such as plants and animals that individuals need in order to earn an income and secure sustainable livelihoods. The main cause of the loss of biodiversity can be attributed to the influence of human beings on the worlds ecosystem, in fact human beings have deeply altered the environment, and have modified the territory, exploiting the species directly, for example by fishing and hunting, changing the biogeochemical cycles and transferring species from one area to. The biodiversity research centre at ubc the ubc biodiversity research centre was founded in 1966. When considering biological diversitythe loss of species, and the environmental degradation and.
Biodiversity loss affects all species in the web of life, including humans, and the vital ecosystems that they support. Biodiversity population matters every choice counts. A new generation of antibiotics, new treatments against bone loss or kidney problems, cancer drugs, it could all be lost if the world fails to reverse the rapid loss of biodiversity. It is therefore crucial to take the steps necessary in order to prevent a loss in biodiversity and thus to ensure a livable future for our children and also for a variety of animals and plants. Biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity school for. Biodiversity loss, also called loss of biodiversity, a decrease in biodiversity within a species, an ecosystem, a given geographic area, or earth as a whole. Consistent effects of biodiversity loss on multifunctionality. Biodiversity loss hasdirect and indirect negative effects on several factors. In contrast, biodiversity losses from disturbances caused by humans tend to be more severe and longerlasting. Understanding the causes of biodiversity loss and the policy assessment framework 3 table of contents table of contents 3 list of figures 7 list of tables 11 executive summary 1 introduction 17 1. Trees may be removed from particular areas in order to make various wood products, to clear land for new buildings or roads, or for creating new farming or grazing land. The effects of climate change on biodiversity in the. The loss of biodiversity could have many negative impacts on the future of ecosystems and humanity worldwide. Habitat loss and overexploitation, driven by our rapid population growth, are the primary causes of biodiversity loss which is now happening up to ten thousand times faster than for millions of years before.
Ecosystem effects of biodiversity loss could rival impacts of. How does biodiversity loss affect me and everyone else. Climate change and biodiversity loss are expected to simultaneously affect ecosystems, however research on how each driver mediates the effect of the other has been limited in scope. Why biodiversity loss hurts humans as much as climate. Obvious examples include volcanic eruptions, floods and fire. An important milestone in the development of the action plan. Human activities have caused the extinction of many species. Loss of biodiversity impacts human health brusselsmontreal, 4 june 2015 healthy communities rely on wellfunctioning ecosystems. Aug 20, 2019 the effects of deforestation have led to a decline in forest cover, forest degradation and loss of biodiversity. Case studies on forest ecosystems and biodiversity loss 151 7. The extinction of species increases the biodiversity loss, and with them our existence. The effects of climate change on biodiversity in the united. Study on understanding the causes of biodiversity loss and the.