Biodiversity is under threat. More and more plant and animal species are disappearing and humans are to blame. Humans cause biodiversity loss through habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, direct exploitation, and climate change, all of which are significantly influenced by human activities.
But until now, drawing broad conclusions about human impacts on biodiversity has been difficult because a clear, global overview of how human activity affects nature across all species did not exist. Most studies have focused on specific places, impacts, or time periods.
To fill these research gaps, a research team from the University of Zurich in Switzerland and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology conducted an unprecedented synthesis study. The researchers compiled data from around 2,100 studies that compared biodiversity at almost 50,000 sites affected by humans with similar places that hadn’t been affected by humans.
The synthesis study, which was recently published in the journal Nature, found humans are having a highly detrimental impact on biodiversity worldwide. In fact, not only is the number of species declining, but the composition of species communities is also changing. On average, the number of species at impacted sites was almost 20% lower than at unaffected sites.
The study, which is one of the largest ever conducted on this topic, highlights the widespread negative impact of human activities on nature, and emphasizes the need to consider all forms of life when assessing biodiversity loss.
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The Devastating Human Impact on Biodiversity
Photo, posted November 19, 2014, courtesy of Green Mountain Girls Farm via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
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