Biodiversity Loss Old

Biodiversity is the variety of living organisms that exist and thrive in the world, including plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms. As a result of climate change and human development, the biodiversity of ecosystems throughout the world has been lost. In 2022, the World Wildlife Fund’s Living Planet Report found that global populations of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians have declined an average of 69% since 1970 [1]. This is in large part due to repurposing of native habitat for human needs, like crop and livestock production. Poaching of already-endangered species, deforestation, and overfishing are direct human activities that contribute to a loss of organismal populations. Climate change has only exacerbated these problems, resulting in habitat loss after climate disasters, water pollution, and rising temperatures that increasingly make lands and waters uninhabitable to native species. These factors combine to cause population decline or extinction of biological life.

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Living Planet Index [2]

The Living Planet Index is a measure designed to assess the state of the world's biological diversity and ecosystem health. It is a key component of the Living Planet Report, which is produced by the World Wildlife Fund in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London and other partners. The Index provides insights into trends in global biodiversity by tracking changes in populations of vertebrate species over time. It is a valuable tool for understanding the impact of human activities on wildlife. The index tracks population trends of thousands of vertebrate species, normalizing the data to account for variations in population size. The data spans from the year 1970 to the present, and describes vertebrate populations from locations across the globe.

Ecosystem Overview

An ecosystem comprises all organisms and their physical environment, interacting as a unified system. Its components include both living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) elements.

Energy and Nutrient Cycles

Energy enters the ecosystem via photosynthesis and transforms into plant biomass. Animals, consuming plants and each other, redistribute energy and matter. Decomposers break down organic matter, returning carbon to the atmosphere and recycling nutrients for use by plants and microbes.

Biodiversity and Interactions

Ecosystems exhibit complex interactions among organisms and their environment, influencing biodiversity and functionality. The balance of these interactions maintains ecosystem health and productivity.

Ecosystem Dynamics

Ecosystems are dynamic, constantly evolving with external and internal influences. They display resilience and adaptability in response to environmental changes.

Human Impact

Human activities impact ecosystems, affecting their balance and sustainability. Conservation efforts aim to preserve and restore ecosystems for future generations.

IUCN Red List [3]

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species describes the global extinction risk status of plant, animal, and fungus species. It is managed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global organization that works on environmental conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. The IUCN Red List assesses the conservation status of species based on criteria such as population size, distribution, and trends, placing them into one of seven threat categories: Least Concerned, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, or Extinct. This dataset is widely used by scientists, conservationists, policymakers, and the general public to understand the status of biodiversity and direct conservation efforts.

Citation

1. https://livingplanet.panda.org/en-US/ 2. https://www.livingplanetindex.org/data_portal