ILO8029: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

MODULE 2: GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Lecture 2 : Loss of Biodiversity

Biodiversity loss describes the decline in the number, genetic variability, and variety of
species, and the biological communities in a given area. This loss in the variety of life
can lead to a breakdown in the functioning of the ecosystem where decline has
happened. For example, clearing trees from a forest eliminates the shading,
temperature and moisture regulation, animal habitat, and nutrient transport services
they provide to the ecosystem.

Natural ecological disturbances, such as wildfire, floods, and volcanic eruptions, change
ecosystems drastically by eliminating local populations of some species and
transforming whole biological communities. Such disturbances are temporary, however,
because natural disturbances are common and ecosystems have adapted to their
challenges.

In contrast, biodiversity losses from disturbances caused by humans tend to be more

severe and longer-lasting. Researchers estimate that the current rate of species loss
varies between 100 and 10,000 times the background extinction rate (which is roughly
one to five species per year when the entire fossil record is considered).

Researchers have identified five important drivers of biodiversity loss:

 Habitat loss and degradation—which is any thinning, fragmentation, or

destruction of an existing natural habitat—reduces or eliminates the food
resources and living space for most species. Species that cannot migrate are
often wiped out.
 Invasive species—which are non-native species that significantly modify or
disrupt the ecosystems they colonize—may outcompete native species for food
and habitat, which triggers population declines in native species. Invasive species
may arrive in new areas through natural migration or through human introduction.

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 Overexploitation—which is the harvesting of game animals, fish, or other

organisms beyond the capacity for surviving populations to replace their losses—
results in some species being depleted to very low numbers and others being
driven to extinction.
 Pollution—which is the addition of any substance or any form of energy to
the environment at a rate faster than it can be dispersed, diluted, decomposed,
recycled, or stored in some harmless form—contributes to biodiversity loss by
creating health problems in exposed organisms. In some cases, exposure may
occur in doses high enough to kill outright or create reproductive problems that
threaten the species’ survival.
 Climate change (associated with global warming)—which is the modification
of Earth’s climate caused by the burning of fossil fuels—is caused by industry and
other human activities. Fossil fuel combustion produces greenhouse
gases that enhance the atmospheric absorption of infrared radiation (heat energy)
and trap the heat, influencing temperature and precipitation patterns.

All five drivers are strongly influenced by the continued growth of the human population
and its consumption of natural resources. Interactions between two or more of these
drivers increase the pace of biodiversity loss.

Ecological, Economic and Social Effects:

Biodiversity loss is most pronounced on species whose populations are decreasing. The
loss of genes and individuals threatens the long-term survival of a species, as mates
become scarce and risks from inbreeding rise when closely related survivors mate.
Declining biodiversity lowers an ecosystem’s productivity and lowers the quality of
the ecosystem’s services. Biodiversity loss also threatens the structure and proper
functioning of the ecosystem. Beyond a critical point of species removal or
diminishment, the ecosystem can become destabilized and collapse.

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Biodiversity loss affects economic systems and human society. Humans rely on
various plants, animals, and other organisms for food, building materials, and
medicines, and their availability as commodities is important to many cultures. The loss
of biodiversity among these critical natural resources threatens global food security and
the development of new pharmaceuticals to deal with future diseases.

Conservation of Biodiversity:

Governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the scientific community must work

together to create incentives to conserve natural habitats and protect the species within
them from unnecessary harvesting, while disincentivizing behaviour that contributes
to habitat loss and degradation.

Sustainable development must be considered when creating new farmland and human
living spaces. Laws that prevent poaching and the indiscriminate trade in wildlife must
be improved and enforced.

There is more than one way to conserve biodiversity. As biodiversity and its use to
communities vary, so too should conservation mechanisms. In situ and ex situ are the
Latin words for “on-site” and “offsite”. They are two different, but complementary
approaches to biodiversity conservation; each plays a distinct and important role.

In situ conservation occurs in nature, for instance in a protected area, traditional farm,
nature reserve or national park. In situ conservation helps to guarantee the survival of a
species in its natural habitat. In situ conservation also enables researchers to determine
the distribution of a species throughout the world, to assess traditional communities’
contribution to conservation, and to inform local conservation initiatives.

 Protected areas are biogeographical areas where biological diversity along with
natural and cultural resources are protected, maintained and managed through
legal and administrative measures.

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 National parks are the small reserves meant for the protection of wild life and
their natural habitats maintained by the government. The activities like grazing
forestry, cultivation and habitat manipulation are not permitted in these areas.
 Sancturies are the areas where only wild animals (fauna) are present. A
controlled biotic interference is permitted in sanctuaries, which allows visiting of
tourists for recreation.
 Biosphere reserves or natural reserves are multipurpose protected areas with
boundaries circumscribed by legislation. The main aim of biosphere reserve is to
preserve genetic diversity in representative ecosystems by protecting wild
animals, traditional life style of inhabitant and domesticated plant/ animal genetic
resources.

Ex-situ conservation occurs when a specimen of a species is set in artificial conditions

such as in a zoological parks or a botanical garden. Ex situ conservation should be
used as a supplement to in situ conservation. Ex situ conservation is rarely enough to
save a species from extinction. However, it is a key element for environmental and
species education programmes because it provides the public with an opportunity to
observe rare species from around the world in one location.

 Zoological parks focus on public education, conservation science and animal

management research.
 Botanical gardens are meant for plant research, display of specimens and
training.
 Seedbanks are more like museums; they house plant material that can be used
as a source for planting if seed reserves – in cultivation or in nature – are
destroyed or extinct. Seedbanks also provide researchers and breeders with crop
seeds important for agriculture.

Concerted actions by the world’s governments are critical in protecting biodiversity.

Numerous national governments have conserved portions of their territories under
the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). A list of 20 biodiversity goals, called
the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, was unveiled at the CBD meeting held in Japan, in

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October 2010. The purpose of the list was to make issues of biodiversity mainstream in
both economic markets and society at large and to increase biodiversity protection by
2020.

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem

Services (IPBES)

The IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is the
most comprehensive report ever completed and was approved at the 7th session of the
IPBES Plenary meeting , 2019 in Paris. It is the first intergovernmental Report of its kind
and builds on the landmark Millennium Ecosystem Assessment of 2005, introducing
innovative ways of evaluating evidence.

The Report assesses changes over the past five decades, providing a comprehensive
picture of the relationship between economic development pathways and their impacts
on nature. It also offers a range of possible scenarios for the coming decades.

Based on the systematic review of about 15,000 scientific and government sources, the
Report also draws (for the first time ever at this scale) on indigenous and local
knowledge, particularly addressing issues relevant to Indigenous Peoples and Local
Communities.

The Report finds that around 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with
extinction, many within decades, more than ever before in human history.

The average abundance of native species in most major land-based habitats has fallen
by at least 20%, mostly since 1900. More than 40% of amphibian species, almost 33%
of reef forming corals and more than a third of all marine mammals are threatened. The
picture is less clear for insect species, but available evidence supports a tentative
estimate of 10% being threatened. At least 680 vertebrate species had been driven to
extinction since the 16th century and more than 9% of all domesticated breeds of

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mammals used for food and agriculture had become extinct by 2016, with at least 1,000
more breeds still threatened.

The direct causes of biodiversity loss – habitat destruction on land and at sea, resource
overexploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive species – as well as indirect causes
such as unsustainable consumption, globalization and demographic change, must be
included in any deal.

Loss of biodiversity is shown to be not only an environmental issue, but also a

developmental, economic, security, social and moral issue as well.

The Report also presents a wide range of illustrative actions for sustainability and
pathways for achieving them across and between sectors such as agriculture, forestry,
marine systems, freshwater systems, urban areas, energy, finance and many others. It
highlights the importance of, among others, adopting integrated management and
cross-sectoral approaches that take into account the trade-offs of food and energy
production, infrastructure, freshwater and coastal management, and biodiversity
conservation. Also identified as a key element of more sustainable future policies is the
evolution of global financial and economic systems to build a global sustainable
economy, steering away from the current limited paradigm of economic growth.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Established in 1964, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of
Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive
information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus and plant
species.

The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity. Far
more than a list of species and their status, it is a powerful tool to inform and catalyse

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action for biodiversity conservation and policy change, critical to protecting the natural
resources we need to survive.
It provides information about range, population size, habitat and ecology, use and/or
trade, threats, and conservation actions that will help inform necessary conservation
decisions. The IUCN Red List is used by government agencies, wildlife departments,
conservation-related non-governmental organisations (NGOs), natural resource
planners, educational organisations, students, and the business community.

Currently, there are more than 116,000 species on The IUCN Red List, with more than
31,000 species threatened with extinction, including 41% of amphibians, 34% of
conifers, 33% of reef building corals, 25% of mammals and 14% of birds.

The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria are intended to be an easily and widely
understood system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction. It divides
species into nine categories:
Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable,
Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild and Extinct.
 Data Deficient (DD)
A taxon is Data Deficient (DD) when there is inadequate information to make a
direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution
and/or population status. A taxon in this category may be well studied, and its
biology well known, but appropriate data on abundance and/or distribution are
lacking.
 Least Concern (LC)
A taxon is Least Concern (LC) when it has been evaluated against the Red List
criteria and does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable
or Near Threatened.
 Near Threatened (NT)
A taxon is Near Threatened (NT) when it has been evaluated against the criteria
but does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable now,

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but is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the
near future.
 Vulnerable (VU)
A taxon is Vulnerable (VU) when the best available evidence indicates that it
meets any of the criteria A to E for Vulnerable, and it is therefore considered to
be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
 Endangered (EN)
A taxon is Endangered (EN) when the best available evidence indicates that it
meets any of the criteria A to E for Endangered, and it is therefore considered to
be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
 Critically Endangered (CR)
A taxon is Critically Endangered (CR) when the best available evidence indicates
that it meets any of the criteria A to E for Critically Endangered, and it is therefore
considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
 Extinct In The Wild (EW)
A taxon is Extinct In The Wild (EW) when it is known only to survive in cultivation,
in captivity or as a naturalized population (or populations) well outside the past
range.
 Extinct (EX)
A taxon is Extinct (EX) when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has
died.

Review Questions:

1. Discuss the direct and indirect causes for the loss of biodiversity.
2. Explain in detail the methods for biodiversity conservation.