Haiti deforestation by NASA - a. Sources: a. JPG a. Habitat loss is the primary cause of decline for species and populations because it removes the flora and fauna that each species requires for life.
When more and more land use occurs within areas of high species richness, loss of biodiversity is greatly exacerbated and species extinctions increase. Habitat fragmentation occurs when land use activities divide and separate previously continuous habitats within a landscape. The effects of habitat fragmentation tend to be most severe for species that have large area requirements, poor dispersal ability, naturally unstable populations, or low population growth rates.
You will learn in the upcoming Biodiversity and Spirituality section that many biodiversity hotspots contain lands preserved by Indigenous People as sacred lands.
The major cause of habitat loss on the planet is agriculture and its expansion. View Source Monoculture. Figure Examples of invasive species: a. Burmese Python, introduced to the Florida Everglades via release by pet owners; c. Lawrence Seaway was built; d. Without tiger sharks, sea turtles would eat all the best sea grass, destroying that habitat for all the other animals that depend on it.
If one species—turtle, shark, or sea grass—disappears, other plants and animals that are connected to that species could go extinct too. Losing just one species can harm many others. Many of these known and unknown species have uncertain futures though. Climate change , pollution , poaching, and habitat destruction change the number of plant and animal species that live in a habitat, known as declining biodiversity. By preventing the decline of biodiversity, you can help keep Earth safe.
Because of a lack of scientific evidence to present to policy-makers, support for tough environmental laws is often lacking in the political arena. The social and economic costs associated with environmental laws are higher for some community sectors, making the implementation of such laws a contentious issue. Because of these difficulties, laws protecting biodiversity are slow to develop and often inadequate.
Based in Vancouver, Kirsten Campbell has been a professional ecologist since She has worked with various governmental agencies and in the private sector. Campbell holds a Master of Science in ecology and conservation. Related Articles Depletion of the Ecosystem. Ways to Protect Biodiversity. Environmental Problems in Temperate Deciduous Forests.
How Humans Disrupt the Ecosystem. The Effects of Animal Overpopulation. Summary of an Ecosystem. The conference brings together parties to the UN Biodiversity Convention to decide on its post strategy. Biodiversity is traditionally defined as the variety of life on Earth in all its forms. It comprises the number of species, their genetic variation and the interaction of these lifeforms within complex ecosystems. In a UN report published in , scientists warned that one million species - out of an estimated total of eight million - are threatened with extinction, many within decades.
It takes millions of years for ecosystems to recover from such an event. Find out facts and figures about endangered species in Europe. Healthy ecosystems provide us with many essentials we take for granted. Plants convert energy from the sun making it available to other life forms. Bacteria and other living organisms break down organic matter into nutrients providing plants with healthy soil to grow in. Pollinators are essential in plant reproduction, guaranteeing our food production.
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