Extinction Crisis It's a dreadful reality. We are going through our sixth period of plant and animal mass extinction, the sixth to happen in the last million years. The current wave is considered to be the worst series of species elimination since the dinosaurs disappeared 65 million years ago. Granted, extinction is a phenomenon that occurs naturally, however it normally happens at a rate of 1 to 5 species every year. But, as scientists estimate, we are currently losing species 1,, times faster than that, which means that literally tens of species are vanishing from the face of the Earth every day.
We could be looking at a frightening future. By this rate, almost one third to one-half of all species could become extinct by The difference with past extinctions, which were caused by catastrophic natural phenomena like volcanic eruptions, asteroid strikes, and violent climate changes, is that the current crisis is caused almost entirely by humans.
The variety of species safeguards the resilience of the ecosystem, providing ecological communities the breadth needed to endure stress. Although the efforts of conservationists are often focused on ecosystems with high numbers of species, like coral reefs and rainforests, preserving biodiversity must not leave other habitats with fewer species out, like tundra, grasslands, and polar seas.
Devastating consequences stem from any species loss. Over the last years, as many as one thousand species vanished, without even accounting for many thousands more that went extinct before science discovered and described them. This puts many thousands of unique species in the dire position of being gone forever. Amphibian Extinction Crisis Amphibians have the sad privilege of being endangered more than any other animal group.
At least 30 percent of all amphibian species are now threatened to disappear. Toads, frogs, and salamanders are vanishing due to animal agriculture, habitat loss, air and water pollution, global warming, UV light exposure, disease, and the introduction of exotic species.
Gene Hunt studies how the relatedness and diversity of organisms relates to what happens to them in an extinction event.
Richard Bambach conducts research on variation in marine biodiversity in relation to different extinction events. By studying the evolution and extinction of tiny organisms called foraminifera, Dr. Brian Huber assesses how Earth's conditions have changed over time. At the end of the last ice age, 10, years ago, many North American animals went extinct, including mammoths , mastodons , and glyptodonts.
While climate changes were a factor, paleontologists have evidence that overhunting by humans was also to blame. Early humans worked cooperatively to trap and slaughter large animals in pits. About the same time, humans began farming, settling down and making drastic changes in the habitats of other species. Starting in the s, industrialization drove up extinction rates and has continued to do so.
For example, Chinese river dolphins , foothill yellow-legged frogs , and sockeye salmon are among the many species currently endangered by water pollution, dams, and other industrial pressures on rivers. Smithsonian Anthropologist Dr. Torben Rick leads an effort to understand how human activities affect biodiversity by studying interactions between humans and other species in the Channel Islands from ancient to modern times.
The science of conservation biology focuses on managing ecosystems to prevent species from going extinct. Smithsonian scientist Dr. The Smithsonian is part of an alliance of institutions Global Tiger Initiative working to save wild tigers from extinction. The value of a species may be judged by various criteria, depending on who is making decisions about what to conserve. For example, cultural value is important in efforts to conserve populations of Pacific salmon.
A Smithsonian exhibit in the Sant Ocean Hall shows how salmon for centuries have shaped a way of life for Native Americans living in the Pacific Northwest.
Recent improvements in genetic engineering have raised questions about bringing extinct species back to life. Since Dolly the sheep was cloned in , scientists know it is possible to create an organism from the DNA in a single cell. UNESCO is committed to promoting respect of the living and of its diversity, ecological solidarity with other living species, and to establish new, equitable and global links of partnership and intragenerational solidarity, for the perpetuation of humankind.
Healthy biodiversity is the essential infrastructure that supports all forms of life on earth, including human life. It also provides nature-based solutions on many of the most critical environmental, economic, and social challenges that we face as human society, including climate change, sustainable development, health, and water and food security.
We are currently in the midst of preparing for the UN Biodiversity Conference, in China, which will mark the close of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and set the course for a post ecologically focused sustainable development pathway to deliver multiple benefits for people, the planet and our global economy. I want to extend my thanks and congratulations to the IPBES community for their hard work, immense contributions and continued partnership.
Together, assessments undertaken by IPBES, FAO, CBD and other organizations point to the urgent need for action to better conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and to the importance of cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary collaboration among decision-makers and other stakeholders at all levels.
You must be logged in to post a comment. Current global response insufficient;. Further Information on Key Issues from the Report Scale of Loss of Nature Gains from societal and policy responses, while important, have not stopped massive losses. Since , trends in agricultural production, fish harvest, bioenergy production and harvest of materials have increased, in response to population growth, rising demand and technological development, this has come at a steep price, which has been unequally distributed within and across countries.
The pace of agricultural expansion into intact ecosystems has varied from country to country. Losses of intact ecosystems have occurred primarily in the tropics, home to the highest levels of biodiversity on the planet.
For example, million hectares of tropical forest were lost from to , resulting mainly from cattle ranching in Latin America about 42 million hectares and plantations in South-East Asia about 7.
Since the global human population has more than doubled from 3. Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities and Nature At least a quarter of the global land area is traditionally owned, managed, used or occupied by Indigenous Peoples. Regional and global scenarios currently lack and would benefit from an explicit consideration of the views, perspectives and rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, their knowledge and understanding of large regions and ecosystems, and their desired future development pathways.
Recognition of the knowledge, innovations and practices, institutions and values of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities and their inclusion and participation in environmental governance often enhances their quality of life, as well as nature conservation, restoration and sustainable use.
Their positive contributions to sustainability can be facilitated through national recognition of land tenure, access and resource rights in accordance with national legislation, the application of free, prior and informed consent, and improved collaboration, fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use, and co-management arrangements with local communities. Policy Tools, Options and Exemplary Practices Policy actions and societal initiatives are helping to raise awareness about the impact of consumption on nature, protecting local environments, promoting sustainable local economies and restoring degraded areas.
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