Biodiversity Loss: A World Wide Conundrum
- Jenna Lipkin
- Nov 10, 2024
- 4 min read
The world has seen a 70% decrease in population sizes around the globe over the past 50 years. This is a result of biodiversity loss. Biodiversity loss is “a decrease in biodiversity within a species, an ecosystem, a given geographic area, or Earth as a whole.” according to Britannica. It is essential to understand the causes, effects, and possible solutions to biodiversity loss to prevent it from doing further harm to Earth.
Biodiversity loss has been an ongoing issue since the dawn of humanity. People have always influenced the environment around them by hunting animals or affecting their habitats in a way that makes them uninhabitable for the animals. Although some biodiversity loss is natural, it is much more severe and permanent when it is human-driven. Even though it had been happening for some time, human-driven biodiversity loss was first brought into the spotlight in the 1980s. This is when people decided it was important to prevent biodiversity loss, but why did they decide this was a pressing issue?
Biodiversity is significant because, without it, ecosystems cannot survive and will collapse, and animals become endangered. This can result in food and water shortages. Most of nature is connected, so the effect can ripple if one organism disappears or is affected. The world has seen an average 68% drop in mammal, bird, amphibian, fish, and reptile populations since the 1970s. This is due to many reasons, namely habitat loss. As people manipulate land that animals have lived on for centuries, the animals have nowhere to go and die out in the surrounding areas. Climate change is another issue affecting biodiversity negatively and is expected to begin affecting it even more soon. Climate change can affect animal habitats and cause extreme temperatures or conditions that could cause places to be inhabitable for animals.
Furthermore, climate change relies on biodiversity as a solution, so when biodiversity worsens, climate change also does. This creates a harmful cycle between the worsening of climate change and biodiversity. Biodiversity is crucial for modern society, as without biodiversity, water and soil can be affected, affecting drink and food supplies. Without biodiversity, there could also be a rise of invasive species, including various plants and pests, since there would be nothing to keep their populations at bay. Additionally, biodiversity helps combat climate change; without biodiversity, there is an increase in carbon dioxide emissions. Overall, for everyday life to continue in the same fashion that it currently does, something must be done about the issue of biodiversity loss.
The loss of biodiversity is a critical issue, and many countries are taking action to prevent it. According to The U.S. Department of State, the United States is trying to stop and reverse the progression of biodiversity loss through many financial measures and state or national guidelines. One measure being taken is that the government provides guidelines for where people can build to conserve land and animal habitats. They have also created the American the Beautiful Challenge, which, according to the U.S. Department of State website, is “a $1 billion public-private partnership that offers a one-stop shop to support ecosystem restoration projects that invest in watershed restoration, resilience, equitable access to nature, workforce development, corridors and connectivity, and collaborative conservation”.
This initiative could provide a mid-term solution for biodiversity loss and set the United States up for future success in battling the issue. The United States is primarily working to reestablish nature in locations that have lost it or protect nature in places that still have it. According to a report published in 2021, after the first year of this initiative, the most notable point of progress was the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This law created many jobs for people in the sciences to work on the broader project. The initiative also made progress in conserving land and adding more regulations to protect animal wildlife.
In conclusion, something must be done to prevent biodiversity loss because it can determine modern and future society. This issue has numerous causes; however, most are human-driven and can be prevented. Even though national governments are taking actions, such as the United States’ “America the Beautiful Challenge,” there is still work to be done. Some ways that individuals can make a difference are by trying to minimize their environmental footprint and remaining mindful of their surroundings. Ways to reduce the ecological footprint include walking instead of driving, recycling, minimizing consumption, and conserving household energy such as lights. Being mindful of surroundings can make a massive difference because it can help stop the spread of habitat destruction. One last way any individual can help is by lobbying to prevent biodiversity loss and supporting conservation organizations such as Conservation International, National Wildlife Federation, and Ocean Associates Inc. The globe must band together to prevent further biodiversity loss, and everyone must do their part. Let’s get started!
References
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Biodiversity loss, a risk for the environment and for humanity. (2024). Iberdrola. https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/biodiversity-loss
Conservation Careers & Conservation Jobs. (2024, June 13). Top US Conservation Organizations | Conservation Careers. Conservation Careers. https://www.conservation-careers.com/top-us-conservation-organizations/
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Highlighting U.S. efforts to combat the biodiversity crisis - United States Department of State. (2022, December 15). United States Department of State. https://www.state.gov/highlighting-u-s-efforts-to-combat-the-biodiversity-crisis/
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United Nations. (n.d.). Biodiversity - our strongest natural defense against climate change | United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/biodiversity
When did humans start influencing biodiversity? Earlier than we thought. (2018, April 23). Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/when-did-humans-start-influencing-biodiversity-earlier-we-thought
Image citations:
2023 America the Beautiful Challenge RFP now open. (2023, March 30). SECASsoutheast.org. https://secassoutheast.org/2023/03/30/2023-America-the-Beautiful-Challenge-RFP-open.html
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Very unique piece! I didn't know biodiversity impacts climate change!
wow i had no idea biodiveristy had a hand in making climate change worse. this is amazing research!