Individual report on humans causing a threat to global biodiversity
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Course
Engels
Level
VWO / Gymnasium
A high quality text about various causes and consequences of biodiversity loss. Humans are causing a problem; we lose biodiversity because of ourselves and this creates a problem for animals and also humans .
Continuing to reduce the biodiversity is our own pitfall
Introduction
Many people don't consider the harm they are doing to biodiversity. However, biodiversity is
essential for the survival of humanity and it is crucial that humans understand the impact we have
on it. Humans affect biodiversity on many levels. On a global level, there will be a global food
shortage where food supplies will be more vulnerable to diseases. Besides, continuing biodiversity
loss will cause a lack of clean drinking water. On a local level, biodiversity loss will affect livelihoods
and income. Humans must understand how their activities affect biodiversity and the significance of
preserving the biodiversity that is still there on the planet. I personally try to create awareness for
what we are doing to our biodiversity. I think we should take good care of all living beings on earth.
Importance
If no adjustments are made in how people use resources on earth, biodiversity will continue to
decline until human existence is no longer possible. The university of Birmingham did further
research on the importance of maintaining biodiversity. Biodiversity is important due to the fact
that all human activity ultimately relies on the services supplied by nature, including the production
of food, the filtration of water and air, the storage of carbon, and the aesthetic, immaterial value of
nature. Additionally, biodiversity is crucial for maintaining the stability of ecosystems. For instance,
there will be less pollination of flowering plants in an environment if a particular species of insects
vanishes.
Main problems
Human are the main problem for biodiversity loss. Since the mid-1970’s, biodiversity has been
declining. According to an article of the Guardian, humanity has wiped out more than 60% of animal
populations since the 70’s. There are a number of causes that have led to this that were not used or
applied very minimally in the past. Following a study done by the Royal society, the main direct
cause of biodiversity loss is land use change (primarily for large-scale food production) which drives
an estimated 30% of biodiversity decline globally. Second is overexploitation (overfishing,
overhunting and overharvesting) for things like food, medicines and timber which drives around
20%. Climate change is the third most significant direct driver of biodiversity loss, which together
with pollution accounts for 14%. Invasive alien species account for 11%.
Health problems
The biological diversity of microorganisms, flora, and fauna has significant advantages for biological,
health, and pharmaceutical sciences, according to the World Health Organization study. A better
understanding of the earth's biodiversity leads to important medical and pharmaceutical
breakthroughs. Loss in biodiversity may limit discovery of potential treatments for many diseases
and health problems. Therefore, a loss in biodiversity will result in less medicines and infectious
diseases.
Economy
Economic scarcity will become an even bigger problem as even more different species become
extinct. About 75 percent of food crops have gone extinct since 1900, largely due to over-reliance on
a handful of high-yielding crop varieties. This lack of biodiversity between crops threatens food
security, as varieties can be vulnerable to pests and diseases, invasive species and climate change.
Food production relies on pollination, genetic variety, and disease prevention and control. Reduction
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