Biodiversity Loss: What You Need to Know

BY SOFO ARCHON

Let’s talk about “biodiversity loss.” Or should I say, the “mass extinction of non-human species”? After all, what is biodiversity loss if not a euphemism for exactly that? Well, if you want to be more technical, here’s a definition from Britannica:

“Biodiversity loss, also called loss of biodiversity, [is] a decrease in biodiversity within a species, an ecosystem, a given geographic area, or Earth as a whole.”

If you didn’t already know, the world’s biodiversity—that is, the variety of life on Earth, in all forms and at every level, from genes to microbes to humans and all other species—has been reduced dramatically over the last couple of centuries. And that is mainly because of… humans.

The current rate of extinction of animals and plants is estimated to be up to 1,000 times greater than it was before 1800, when, through industrialization and the rapid advancement of technology, humans began to exert much greater control over the world. And as the human population grows to 10 billion and more cultures across the globe adopt the ethic of economic growth and consumerism, the human-caused destruction of life on Earth is only getting worse.

But how exactly are humans driving biodiversity loss? Let’s find out.

What Causes Biodiversity Loss?

One of the main causes of biodiversity loss is habitat destruction. According to the IUCN’s Red List of International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are over 40,000 species threatened with extinction, mostly due to the destruction of the habitats they depend on. In fact, according one report, one million species may be pushed to extinction in the next few years).

That destruction can be caused by natural phenomena, such as floods and fires, but it is mostly caused by human activity—including mining, logging, trawling, and urban sprawl. The most significant such activity is deforestation, with around half of the world’s original forests now cleared, mainly for agricultural use. To understand the level of destruction taking place, picture 30 football fields (or, if you’re from the US, soccer fields) of forest being cut down every single minute.

Biodiversity is also threatened by pollution, particularly air and water pollution. For example, burning fossil fuels creates acid rain by releasing sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, causing water and soil acidification, which negatively affects the biodiversity of our planet’s ecosystems. In addition to polluting the environment, burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases that are warming our planet. This warming, among other things, causes soil erosion, desertification, the melting of ice caps, flooding, and extreme weather patterns—all of which are immensely detrimental to Earth’s biodiversity.

Another example of pollution-induced biodiversity loss is the sewage and chemicals that run off from agricultural land into water systems. Currently, humans breed and raise over 60 billion land animals each year, most of which are crammed into small spaces. As you can imagine, the excrement produced by this unbelievably large number of animals poisons surrounding land ecosystems as well as marine life, where it eventually ends up. The same is true of the antibiotics and other chemicals given to farmed animals in order to protect them from diseases that are otherwise extremely likely to develop because of the conditions in which they are kept.

Humans are also driving biodiversity loss through “overharvesting”—or, in my words, “the mass killing of non-human life”—whether by hunting or fishing. Fishing, in particular, is responsible for the death of more than a trillion marine animals each year. This is not only devastating for those animals, but also for the marine ecosystems they are part of, since in an ecosystem all life is interrelated and interdependent. For example, overfishing can damage coral reefs and remove essential predators, both of which can have potentially fatal effects on ocean ecosystems.

I’ll briefly mention two other significant ways humans are driving animals and plants toward extinction. The first is habitat fragmentation—that is, the breaking up of natural habitats—through activities such as dam building, which reduces the amount of suitable habitat available for organisms. The second is the introduction (whether intentional or accidental) of so-called “invasive” species, which can upset the balance of ecosystems, for example by carrying diseases or consuming entire populations of native species or the resources those species depend on.

Now that we’ve looked at the most important ways biodiversity loss is being caused, let’s see why it’s such an important issue.

Why is Biodiversity Important Anyway?

Our planet is a complex system that took billions of years of evolution to reach its current state of complexity. In general, the more complex—and therefore diverse—a living system is, the healthier and more resilient it tends to be. When a living system becomes less diverse, its health and resilience are compromised.

Here’s an analogy with the human body to illustrate what I mean. Your body is a complex, integrated system whose parts work synergistically to maintain homeostasis and other processes necessary for keeping you alive and healthy. If a vital part of your body—let’s say an organ like a lung—is harmed, then the health of your entire body is compromised.

In a similar way, Earth is a living system composed of many interconnected parts whose condition plays a vital role in the health of the whole planet. These include soil, forests, coral reefs, wetlands, fish, whales, and elephants. By degrading or destroying them, we compromise the health of our planet. And the more degraded it becomes, the less able it is to recover, because the processes necessary for that recovery are disrupted.

Perhaps needless to say, every living being on Earth—including ourselves—depends entirely on its environment. By harming nature, therefore, we are harming ourselves and all life on Earth. If we want to live on a vibrant, healthy, and thriving planet, we need to stop stripping away its biodiversity. On the contrary, we need to help restore and protect it. By doing so, we will not only live on a healthier planet, but also on a more beautiful one—for it is biodiversity that enriches life with the animals, plants, and landscapes that make the world the wonderful place it is.

How to Stop Biodiversity Loss?

The big question is: what can we do to stop driving biodiversity loss?

Obviously, we need to stop engaging in the activities that cause it. That means we need to stop using resources faster than Earth can replenish them, stop burning fossil fuels, stop releasing toxic chemicals into the land, air, and sea, and stop farming animals—among other things. But, of course, that is not a simple thing to do. There are three main reasons for this

• First, as paradoxical as it sounds, we must keep destroying the planet if we want to survive within our growth-driven and consumption-based economic system. In this system, many of us must engage in environmentally harmful activities, such as manufacturing, selling, or promoting unsustainable products, in order to earn a living—even though doing so ultimately harms humanity as a whole.
• Second, it is difficult to change our ecologically destructive behavior because many of us have been conditioned since childhood to see ourselves primarily as consumers whose purpose is to buy things. We tend to believe that products are what make life rich, without realizing that we are trying to enrich our lives by destroying the very planet we depend on and are inseparable from.
• Finally, we continue harming our planet because most of us do not feel deeply connected to it. Spending much of our lives inside human-made environments—houses, cars, offices, and cities of concrete—has psychologically distanced us from the natural world. As a result, instead of seeing the planet as a living organism worthy of care and respect, we often see it merely as a collection of resources to control and exploit.

To stop causing biodiversity loss, it is therefore crucial that we begin to feel more connected to our planet. One way this can happen is by spending more time in nature and encouraging others to do the same. By doing so, we can experience the beauty, complexity, and richness of the natural world firsthand—and we may also become more aware of the extent of the damage that human activity has caused. So whenever you can, spend some time in natural environments, whether in the wilderness or simply in a nearby park or field, and invite others to join you if possible. You can also share written, visual, and audio material that inspires appreciation and stewardship for the Earth, whether in person or through different forms of media.

As our connection with nature grows, our values will begin to shift. For example, we will place less importance on acquiring material things and more importance on the well-being of the planet. With our values changed, our behavior will change as well, since our actions tend to reflect what we care about. Instead of contributing to environmental destruction, we will become interested in activities that help restore and protect the natural world. Such activities include reforestation, regenerative plant-based agriculture, and environmentally responsible product and city design.

At the same time, we will want to radically transform the economic system we live in, realizing that it is antithetical to the activities just mentioned. Instead of maintaining a system based on endless growth and consumption, we will begin to create a steady-state economy that is aligned with—rather than opposed to—the natural world. For more information on how this could be achieved, read this article.