THREAT TO THE EXISTENCE OF BIODIVERSITY

THREAT TO THE EXISTENCE OF BIODIVERSITY   I   RACE IAS : Best IAS Institue in Lucknow  I   Current Affairs

Mains Exam: General Studies-3

(Issues and Challenges related toBiodiversity)

Context:

  • According to the recent report of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the threat to the survival of wildlife is increasing, biodiversity is decreasing rapidly across the world.

Living Planet Report 2022:

Key points-

  • Worldwide wildlife populations have decreased by 69 percent in the last fifty years.
  • These include mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fishes etc.
  • According to this report, although wildlife populations are declining rapidly all over the world, since 1970 wildlife populations have declined by 49 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, 66 percent in Africa and 55 percent in Asia.
  • Seventy-one percent decrease in the number of sharks and 'ray' fishes:
  • Due to an eighteen-fold increase in fishing, there has been a 71 percent decrease in the number of sharks and 'rays', while species living in fresh water have recorded the highest decline of 83 percent, which is the biggest decline compared to any species group.
  • More than one million species threatened Worldwide:
  • 900 biological species have become extinct worldwide and more than thirty seven thousand are facing the threat of extinction. If the biodiversity crisis continues like this, more than one million species around the world will be in the category of threatened or on the verge of extinction.
  • The existence of the world's heaviest bird 'Elephant Bird' has now ended from the earth.
  • Similarly, the species of hairy rhinoceros found in Asia and Europe has also become history.
  • The creature named 'Stellar sea cow' of Dugong species, which completed the life cycle of up to seventy years in the sea, has also become extinct. Now the existence of certain species of plants is also under threat.
  • After studying 538 species from 581 locations around the world for ten years, the researchers found that 44 percent of the 538 species have become extinct in most of the places.After studying various seasonal factors in this study, researchers say that if the heat continues to increase like this, then by 2070 many species will be extinct around the world.
  • World Wildlife Crime Report-2020:
    • According to the 'World Wildlife Crime Report 2020', wildlife trafficking is the biggest threat to the world's ecosystems.
    • According to this report, mammals are the most trafficked in the world, followed by 21.3% of reptiles, 8.5% of birds and 14.3% of plants.
    • A research evaluating human impacts on marine species found that about 57 percent of marine species are at risk of extinction due to human activities.
    • The researchers made this conclusion by assessing species threatened by human activities from 2003 to 2013, based on data from the IUCN's 'Red List' of 1,271 threatened marine species.
  • IUCN Report-2021:
    • According to the 2021 report of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), thousands of species of wildlife and flora are in danger around the world and there may be an unprecedented increase in the number of them disappearing from the earth in the coming times.
    • After assessing about 1.35 lakh species worldwide, IUCN had included 37,400 species in the 'Red List' considering them on the verge of extinction.
    • According to another research, 97 percent of the Earth's ecological health has deteriorated and only three percent has remained ecologically safe due to the absence of human interference and the role of local tribal people there.
  • Frontiers in Forest and Global Change:
    • In a study published in the journal Environmental Science titled 'Frontiers in Forest and Global Change', researchers say that human intervention has caused so much devastation in the Earth's biodiversity areas that only three per cent of the Earth's land has been completely spared.
  • Smithsonian Environmental Research Center:
    • According to Kimberly Komatsu, a researcher at the UK-based Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, only 2.7 percent of the world's biodiversity remains untouched, exactly as it was five hundred years ago.

Major Responsible Causes:

  • In this report of WWF, it has been told that deforestation, emergence of invasive breeds, pollution, climate crisis and various diseases are the main reasons for this.
  • Due to the exploitation of natural resources on a large scale, industrialization, urbanization, hunting, cutting of trees, etc., major changes are taking place in the environment.
  • Due to the polluted environment and the changing mood of nature, the existence of many species of flora and fauna is in danger all over the world.
  • Ignored by governments-
  • According to the researchers, only eleven percent of the countries that fall under the boundaries of the area with unaffected biodiversity have been declared protected areas and the concerned governments are not paying attention to it.
  • Most of the areas with unaffected biodiversity are in the Northern Hemisphere, where human presence has been low, but these are not as rich in biodiversity as other areas.
  • Human hunting and diseases
  • Regarding the crisis looming over the existence of wildlife on the earth, researchers say that most of the species have become extinct due to human hunting, while some other reasons include the attack of other animals and diseases.
  • Climate Change:
  • After analyzing data on species that have gone extinct in recent times due to climate change, their movements and various species currently present on Earth, researchers at the University of Arizona in the US have estimated that the number of plants and one-third of animal species will become extinct in the next fifty years.
  • Researchers believe that the impact of humans on marine biodiversity is increasing and the pressure of fishing, increasing acidification of land and ocean, etc. are the reasons due to which there is a threat of extinction on marine life.
  • Environmental scientists say that due to encroachment in forests, erosion, increasing pollution and unnecessary activities in the name of tourism, there is a crisis in biodiversity all over the world.

About World Wildlife Fund:

  • WWF was formed in the year 29 April, 1961.
  • It mainly deals with the issues of conservation, research and maintenance of the environment.
  • It is headquartered in Gland (Switzerland).
  • Its subsidiaries are WWF Hong Kong, International Gorilla Conservation Program and World Wildlife Fund, Inc.
  • Its objective is to stop the environmental crisis on the earth and to create a future in which man can live in harmony with nature.
  • It publishes the following reports:
  • Living Planet Report (published every two years)
  • Living Planet Index
  • Ecological Footprint Calculation

Measures for Enriching Biodiversity:

  • Conservation areas in global hotspots should be set up by governments on a large scale.
  • Small islands should be protected for the presence of rare species.
  • These conservation areas should be expanded to cover at least 40% of the world's land for wildlife to live and move freely.
  • There is a need to encourage efforts to restore and conserve habitats of endangered species.
  • Efforts should be made to produce more on the least amount of agricultural land by using the best means.
  • Clean up the environment by reducing the amount of waste generated during transportation and food processing.
  • Policy measures should be adopted to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

Conclusion:

  • According to WWF Director General Marco Lambertini, we are facing a double emergency of human-induced climate crisis and biodiversity loss, which could prove to be a threat to present and future generations.
  • This is a clear sign of deteriorating environmental balance and if concrete steps are not taken to improve it soon, then a big loss may have to be incurred in the coming times. Scientists believe that the degradation of biodiversity will have a direct impact on future yields, food production, etc., which will badly affect the entire ecosystem.
  • All species of flora and fauna together provide the necessary ecosystem and since wild animals are also our friends, it is very important to conserve them.
  • However, on the basis of some satellite images, researchers believe that the biodiversity of 20 percent of the earth can be saved, where only five or fewer large animals have disappeared, but for this areas untouched by human influence. The habitat of some species will have to be increased, which will benefit the ecosystem.

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Mains  Exam. Question:

Write the main reasons for the threat to the existence of Biodiversity. Write the ways to enrich Biodiversity.