44% of the Planet at Risk in Biodiversity Crisis [Urgent Plea for Environmental Protection]

The global biodiversity crisis is more apparent than ever before, with a new study revealing that 44% of the Earth’s landscape requires conservation intervention to avoid irreversible levels of biodiversity loss. In the Science journal’s June 3, 2022 issue, scientists warn that we may lose too much biodiversity to bounce back from without the implementation of environmental protection for around 24.7 million square miles (64 million square kilometers).

Based on the study result that 44% of the earth’s land is at risk due to human activities, it’s estimated that over 1 million species are also at risk of extinction if we do not institute further protection. The University of Amsterdam study, led by Dr. James R. Allan, utilized geospatial algorithms to map ecosystems around the world that are critical for conserving at-risk terrestrial wildlife.

There are infinite outcomes based on human activity and behavior change, so the team took the study further to calculate how much land was at risk by 2030 based on various land-use scenarios.

"Our study is the current best estimate of how much land we must conserve to stop the biodiversity crisis—it is essentially a conservation plan for the planet… We must act fast; our models show that over 1.3 million km2 of this important land—an area larger than South Africa—is likely to have its habitat cleared for human uses by 2030, which would be devastating for wildlife."

- Lead Author, Dr. James R. Allan (University of Amsterdam)

This study offers crucial figures for policymakers to consider as guidelines for instituting ambitious enough plans for avoiding an irreversible biodiversity crisis.

What is Biodiversity Loss?

Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth and can be broken down by ecosystem. When considering the biodiversity of different ecosystems, each life— whether it be a plant, animal, bacteria, etc— plays a significant role in maintaining the health of that ecosystem.

With the loss of diversity comes reduced health of the ecosystem. The environment can no longer maintain symbiotic relationships between residents as die-offs occur. This could look like a certain aquatic plant species dying, which causes fish to suffer due to inadequate protection and habitat, which could also impact the health of birds, and the cleanliness of the water.

The loss of biodiversity can cause a domino effect resulting in an entire ecosystem collapsing. No landscape on earth can sustain itself without maintaining its important web of biodiversity that keeps the ecosystem functioning as it should.

What is the Cause of Biodiversity Loss?

The five leading causes for biodiversity loss include climate change, habitat destruction/degradation, pollution, invasive species, and overexploitation of resources. Other factors go into biodiversity loss to note, such as viruses entering ecosystems, can be naturally occurring; however, many factors causing biodiversity loss are directly or indirectly tied back to human behavior.

An example of a direct cause is releasing a pet snake into the wild and becoming an invasive species in that ecosystem. An indirect cause is the glacial melting occurring due to human-caused climate change disrupting the arctic ecosystems.

How Could the Loss of Biodiversity Affect Humans?

Biodiversity loss doesn’t just cause problems for non-human animals; it reduces food yield, fresh water supply, CO2 sequestering, and other vital resources for sustaining life on earth. Without biodiversity, all life will suffer and eventually face the threat of extinction.

Continued loss in the earth’s biodiversity will bring about mass extinctions, decreased soil and water health, a drop in food production, increased pests that can damage crop yields, and a spike in carbon dioxide emissions. The further we push in our quest to obtain resources and exploit the planet, the more impacted we will be by these obstacles. Eventually, these outcomes could cause massive die-offs of human populations and a completely uninhabitable planet.

Our destructive behaviors have brought about more loss in biodiversity and delivered us to the point of needing to implement drastic measures. However, we still have time if we act now. The key is informed policy.

Policy for Mitigating Biodiversity Loss

Maintaining biodiversity on earth starts with the implementation of science-backed policy. According to Dr. Kendall Jones, a co-author in the study, the global target to conserve 17% of terrestrial areas for improved biodiversity, set more than a decade ago, is not enough. A new target being discussed among policymakers for 2030 is that nations should aim to conserve 30% of their land. This could be accomplished by establishing more protected areas, for starters.

However, scientists do not believe this is an ambitious enough goal if we want to avoid the biodiversity crisis that’s looming over us. Dr. Jones stated, “If nations are serious about safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services that underpin life on Earth, then they need immediately to scale up their conservation efforts, not only in extent and intensity but also in effectiveness."

As long as policymakers are still committing to small goals, we will see small results and therefore, never make the progress that needs to be made to make a dent in this crisis. Effective conservation tools proposed by Dr. Allan include:

• Empowering Indigenous Peoples to manage their natural environment

• Implementing politics that limit deforestation

• Providing sustainable livelihood options

• Establishing more protected areas

We can fight to save our planet's biodiversity by voting for government officials who value conservation and are willing to implement the policy needed to make lasting change. Every individual must consider their contributions towards biodiversity loss to make the changes outlined in the Science journal’s recent publication possible to achieve. Without improving the health of our planet, we will continue pushing the health and resources of our home past the point of no return.

Read the complete study, “The minimum land area requiring conservation attention to safeguard biodiversity,” here.